In Russia, a Mi-8 may have been shot down by its own air defense; three reported dead — RMF24

A military Mi-8 helicopter crashed in Russia’s Voronezh region — an aggressor state. According to RMF24, Russian Telegram channels suggest that the aircraft may have been mistakenly shot down by its own air defense. Three crew members are reported dead: the pilot, navigator, and weapons operator.

Version of an air defense error

Fighterbomber, a channel linked to the Russian military, stated that the Mi-8 was likely hit by Russian air defense systems. The post’s author suggested that the tragedy could have been caused by human error or a problem identifying the helicopter as friendly.

Another Telegram channel, Helicopterpilot, claims that the helicopter was scrambled from its base due to the threat of an attack by Ukrainian drones. According to this version, the aircraft was heading toward the direction from which the drones were approaching.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Possible causes of the crash

Russian media and information channels reported that the Mi-8 crashed in the Anninsky district of the Voronezh region. The Moscow Times, cited by RMF24, named a malfunction of the friend-or-foe identification system or the crew’s failure to follow instructions regarding the flight direction among the possible causes.

The Mi-8 is one of the most widespread multirole helicopters in the Russian armed forces. It is also used by the border service, the Russian National Guard, and Russian naval aviation. According to the Oryx portal, which tracks visually confirmed equipment losses in Russia’s war against Ukraine, Russia has lost 183 helicopters, including 53 Mi-8s.