Russian Air Defense Near Moscow Shoots Down Helicopter, Mistaking It for UAV

Russian air defense shot down its own helicopter, mistaking it for a drone.

The incident took place on the night of April 10 in the Moscow region of the aggressor country.

Videos from local residents, shared on Telegram channels and other social media platforms, confirm the event.

The footage shows a helicopter flying over a settlement at night while Russian military personnel attempt to shoot it down.

According to the videos, the Russians mistook their own helicopter for an enemy drone, as at that time, Russian regions were under drone attack.

All of this took place near the Moscow region city of Naro-Fominsk. Propaganda sources reported the alleged downing of an unidentified drone.

Local residents reported that at 10:30 p.m. local time on April 9, a powerful explosion occurred in Naro-Fominsk. The deafening sound triggered car alarms in some city areas, and window panes trembled.

It is unclear whether this was the helicopter or an actual drone. As of the morning of April 10, Russian media have not reported any crash or accidental downing of the helicopter, which may indicate that the aircraft made it to its base.

Given that a UAV attack was ongoing in the Moscow region overnight, the helicopter may have been involved in intercepting them. The Russians have been using this tactic for a long time.

But this time, the lack of coordination between air defense and aviation led to the Russians attempting to shoot down their own aircraft.

In the morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that air defense forces had supposedly destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Belgorod, Oryol, Moscow regions, and the annexed Crimea.

Last July, a Mi-28 combat helicopter hunting for Ukrainian drones crashed in the Kaluga region of Russia, killing the crew.