In brief: Milbloggers and mainstream media have reported that as Russia tried to repel Ukraine’s drone attacks on the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga overnight into Wednesday morning, air defenses brought down three Russian helicopters. There has been no official confirmation from Moscow’s Defense Ministry.
Russia reportedly shot down three of its military helicopters while repelling a Ukrainian drone strike on the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga early Wednesday morning.
According to The Moscow Times and the military issue website Defence Blog, Russia might have downed three of its own helicopters as it tried to repel a major drone attacks on St. Petersburg, during which Russia’s air defenses claimed to have shot down more than 150 Ukrainian drones.
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Despite having no official confirmation from Russia’s Defense Ministry or Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko, several pro-Russian milbloggers and outlets suspect Russia’s air defenses were to blame.
Ilya Tumanov, who has close ties to Russia’s air forces, posted a plain black square on his “Fighterbomber” Telegram channel and said the defense came at a “very, very, very high price,” without elaboration.
“Today’s defense of the skies over St. Petersburg against drone attacks came at a very high price. A very, very, very high price,” he wrote.
Another milblogger, Voevoda Veshchaet, in a less enigmatic post than Tumanov’s, went further, calling it “a great wound on the Aerospace Forces.”
“Tonight’s events have inflicted a great wound on the Aerospace Forces. Three experienced crews, seven brave warriors have gone to the Heavenly Garrison,” he wrote.
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A third channel, “Na Predel,” posted a black-and-white photo of a Ka-52 “Alligator” (NATO: Hokum) helicopter with the words: “Sometimes, we lose the most precious things we have. And unfortunately, those young people can never be brought back.”
Several commentators draw attention to Voevoda Veshchaet’s mention of seven lost. As the Ka-52 has only a two-man crew, the conclusion is that more than one and as many as three were lost.
Israeli military journalist Sergei Auslender said there’s a “reasonable suspicion” that at least two were brought down by Russian air defenses.
“In Ust-Luga, where the port is on fire, during the repulsion of a drone attack, the Russians managed to lose THREE helicopters along with their crews… There is a reasonable suspicion that at least two of them were shot down by their own air defense,” Auslender said, according to independent Russian news site Astra.
One of the lost aircraft, observers speculate, may have been an Mi-8 helicopter (NATO: Hip) equipped as an airborne counter-drone jamming platform – a tactic Russia has previously deployed. The third aircraft type, if indeed there was one, has not yet been identified.
Based on previous experience, Russia is unlikely to officially confirm the loss of the aircraft, particularly if it was as a result of friendly fire.
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