Ukrainian FPV drone strikes airborne Russian helicopter for first time in history – source

The FPV kamikaze drone strike that damaged a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter in Russia’s Kursk Oblast on 6 August was an operation by special forces of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), Ukrainska Pravda sources say.

Source: Militarnyi web portal, which has analysed posts by a number of Russian military personnel on Telegram; Ukrainska Pravda sources in the SSU

Details: Blogger Aleksey Zemtsov, who runs the Voevoda Veshchaet (Voyevoda Broadcasts) Telegram channel, reported the damage done to the helicopter. He did not specify the model, only noted that the crew managed to divert and land the aircraft after the attack. Zemtsov claimed that the crew were alive and the helicopter had been sent for repair.

Private Telegram channels are also reported to have posted videos and still images of the FPV drone hitting the tail of the helicopter, which they say resembles the tail section of a Mi-28.

Ukrainska Pravda sources report that the Russian helicopter was shot down by SSU special forces using an FPV drone.

A source clarified that it was soldiers from Special Group Alpha who shot down the Russian Mi-28 over Kursk Oblast, Russia.

"The video clearly shows the SSU drone hitting the rear rotor of the enemy vehicle... We still have plenty of unexpected surprises for the Russians," an informed SSU source said.

For reference: The Mi-28 is an attack helicopter designed to seek out and destroy enemy armoured vehicles, air targets and manpower.

Background:

• On 6 August, Russian authorities claimed that the Ukrainians had launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
• The Russian Ministry of Defence later reported that Russian reserve troops had been deployed on the Russian-Ukrainian border in Kursk Oblast.
• The military analysis project DeepState has released photos of military equipment that was likely destroyed in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian troops reportedly broke through the border on 6 August. The destroyed equipment included a Ka-52 helicopter.

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