MOSCOW - Russia temporarily grounded about 100 An-12 cargo planes on Wednesday following a deadly crash of one of the jets, its transport safety regulator said.

An Antonov-12 crashed in Russia's Far East on Tuesday, killing all 11 on board after its engine failed, the latest in a string of transport disasters that anger ordinary Russians, who say the government is not doing enough to protect them.

Ahead of parliamentary elections in December and a presidential vote in March, President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have condemned the state of the country's infrastructure and endemic regulatory corner-cutting.

The crash was the third fatal jet disaster in as many months. Seven people were killed by another Antonov, the An-24, in Siberia in July, following a crash in the country's northwest in June that killed 35.

"We decided to suspend flight operations of the An-12 aircraft in Russia until airlines take direct measures to improve safety," said Rostransnadzor official Sergei Romanchev.

The transport safety watchdog added that Russia has around 100 An-12s.

The latest accidents follow the crash of Polish President Lech Kaczynski's Russian-built plane near the western city of Smolensk in a thick fog in April 2010, killing him and all 95 others on board.

A month ago, 122 people died on the Volga River when a tourist riverboat listed to one side and sank within minutes. Putin blamed irresponsibility and the desire for a quick profit for that disaster.  

A culture of corruption sometimes enables old, decrepit vessels and aeroplanes to pass routine safety tests.