Russian helicopter reportedly shot down by own jet over Voronezh
Telegram channels say a Russian Su-35 fighter mistook a Mi-8 helicopter for a drone and shot it down on 1 October, killing its three-man crew.
A Russian Mi-8 helicopter came down over Voronezh Oblast on 1 October after apparently being fired on by one of Russia's own Su-35 fighter jets, Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels say, in reporting picked up by the Kyiv Independent and Ukrainian outlet NV. All three crew members died, the channels said. Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed the cause of the crash, and the claims remain unverified.
The helicopter crashed in the Anninsky district of Voronezh Oblast, about 80 kilometres from the regional capital, while Russian forces were responding to a suspected Ukrainian drone attack, the reports said. The Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova Plus said the Su-35's crew mistakenly identified the Mi-8 as a drone and opened fire; another Ukrainian channel, Dossier of a Spy, gave the same account.
The helicopter's pilot, navigator and onboard gunner were killed, according to Exilenova Plus. Russian military blogger Ilya Tumanov, who runs the Fighterbomber channel, confirmed the loss of the helicopter without directly stating the cause, writing only that the reason was a "classical" one that humanity has yet to overcome despite modern identification technology. Another Russian channel, Oko Gora, said the Mi-8 had been on a landing pad and began taking off after a drone alert before coming under fire from the Su-35.
The Mi-8 is a Soviet-designed transport helicopter in wide use since the 1960s for combat support and other missions, while the Su-35 is a modern multirole fighter developed from the Su-27. Both remain core parts of Russia's air force.
This is not the first reported loss of a Russian Mi-8 during a response to Ukrainian drone attacks. On 4 March, a Russian military helicopter crashed in Dudky, in Rostov region, about 2.5 kilometres from Millerovo military airfield; Russian investigative outlet Astra reported it was shot down by Russia's own air defences before falling onto a local farmer's barn, killing all three crew members.
What we know
- Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels say a Su-35 fighter mistakenly shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter on 1 October
- The crash happened in Anninsky district, Voronezh Oblast, about 80km from the regional capital, during a response to a suspected drone attack
- All three crew of the Mi-8 were killed, according to the Exilenova Plus Telegram channel
- Russian authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash, and the reports are unverified
- A similar friendly-fire loss of a Russian Mi-8 was reported in Rostov region on 4 March
Not yet confirmed
- The friendly-fire cause of the Voronezh crash has not been confirmed by Russian authorities and relies on Telegram channel reports.
Why it matters for Europe
Friendly-fire losses like this one point to the strain that large-scale drone attacks place on Russian air defences, which must distinguish incoming drones from their own aircraft within seconds. A similar incident in March, when Russian air defences reportedly downed one of their own helicopters in Rostov region, suggests this is a recurring problem for Russian forces responding to Ukraine's drone campaign.
Sources
Reported by 2 reports from 2 independent outlets in 2 countries.
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Questions and answers
- What reportedly happened to the Russian helicopter?
- Telegram channels say a Russian Su-35 fighter mistook a Mi-8 helicopter for a drone and shot it down over Voronezh Oblast on 1 October, killing its three crew members.
- Has Russia confirmed the cause of the crash?
- No. Russian authorities have not publicly confirmed that the helicopter was shot down by the fighter jet, and the reports are based on unverified Telegram channels.
- Has this happened before?
- Yes, Russian investigative outlet Astra reported a similar incident on 4 March, when Russian air defences downed one of their own Mi-8 helicopters in Rostov region.
This article was written with AI assistance from 2 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.