20 Turkish soldiers were killed in a plane crash on the Georgian-Azerbaijani border.

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport plane carrying 20 Turkish military personnel crashed near the border with Azerbaijan in Georgia, killing all.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", on October 25, a group of Azerbaijani military departed for Turkey to participate in the Nusret 2025 international exercises in the Gulf of Saros. The exercises included maneuvers involving naval and air forces from NATO countries under the command of the Coast Guard; observers from several countries were also present.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense reported the crash of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport plane in Georgia on November 11. According to the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the plane crashed approximately five kilometers from the border with Azerbaijan, RIA Novosti reports.

The plane crashed in a mountainous area in the Georgian municipality of Sighnaghi, near the Kholagiri Monastery. There were 20 people on board, all of whom died. The plane took off from Ganja Airport at 2:19 p.m. local time and disappeared from radar a few minutes later without raising an alarm. Search and rescue operations are underway in difficult terrain and poor visibility, Oxu.az reports.

The crash killed 20 service members on board, including all crew members. Turkish media have published their names. These are Gökhan Korkmaz, Serdar Uslu, Nihat Ilgen, Cüneyt Kandemir, Emre Mercan, Nuri Özcan, Ümit İnce, Burak Özkan, Emrah Kuran, Hamdi Armagan Kaplan, Akin Karakuş, İlker Aykut, Ramazan Yağız, Emre Altıok, Burak İbbıyi, İlhan Ongan, Berkay Karaca, Ahmet Yaşar Kuyucu, Cem Dolapçı, and Emre Sayın.

The military personnel on board were F-16 fighter jet maintenance specialists who were participating in the military parade. The aircraft was also carrying mechanical spare parts for the F-16.

The investigation into the cause of the plane crash is focused on two theories. The first is that the aircraft had been in service for a long time, with its last major overhaul being carried out in 2020, which could have caused the airframe to fail due to corrosion. The second likely cause is improper cargo securing. It could have shifted during flight, damaging the aircraft's internal structures and compromising its integrity. There was clearly no external interference.

Previously, "Caucasian Knot" reported that joint exercises between Azerbaijani and Turkish commandos took place in May in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic .