Russian Mi-8 helicopter shot down by air defence in friendly fire incident, crew killed

A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter has been shot down by air defence in Russia's Rostov Oblast in a friendly fire incident, resulting in the deaths of three crew members.

Source: ASTRA, a Russian media outlet; Fighterbomber, a military blogger close to the Russian Aerospace Forces

Details: ASTRA reports that Russian air defence forces shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter in Rostov Oblast on the night of 3-4 March. It crashed into a shed belonging to a local farmer in the hamlet of Dudki in the Millerovo district. After the crash, the helicopter caught fire, and the shed also burned down. Local residents informed ASTRA of the incident, and sources in Russia's Emergency Ministry corroborated the report.

Three crew members were killed instantly. No civilians were injured, sources in Russia's emergency services told ASTRA.

The hamlet of Dudki is located a few kilometres (about 2.5 km) from the Millerovo military airfield.

Russian pro-war Telegram channels reported earlier that a Russian helicopter had been shot down while air defence was operating against Ukrainian drones, but provided no further details. The regional governor did not mention the helicopter being shot down or the deaths of the three servicemen, stating only that "no people were injured".

Fighterbomber confirmed the loss of the crew.

A state commission is now working at the crash scene to determine the causes and circumstances of the incident.

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