Russian Mi-8 Lost on October 1 After Being Shot Down by Friendly Fire From Su-35

The crash of a Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter in the Voronezh region was caused by friendly fire.

This was reported by the Telegram channel Dossier of the Spy.

According to the channel, on October 1, while repelling a massive drone attack, the helicopter was struck by a Russian Su-35 fighter jet.

The fighter jet’s crew mistakenly identified the Mi-8 helicopter as an enemy drone and opened fire to destroy it.

As a result of the attack, all three members of the Mi-8 crew were killed instantly.

The likely cause of the incident was an attempt to move the helicopters out of the path of a potential drone strike and relocate them to a safer area.

At this time, the exact variant of the lost Mi-8 remains unknown.

Units of the 549th Separate Helicopter Regiment (military unit 12628), which operates Mi-8 helicopters, are deployed in the vicinity of Voronezh and at nearby airfields.

In addition, the 15th Army Aviation Brigade of the Russian Federation’s Aerospace Forces regularly deploys army aviation in the region, as do aviation units of the Russian National Guard and the FSB Border Service, which are based at the Baltimor airfield.

The 549th Separate Helicopter Regiment and units of the 15th Army Aviation Brigade of the Russian Aerospace Forces are equipped with the Mi-8MTV-5 and Mi-8AMTSh transport-combat variants, as well as older versions of the Mi-8MT and Mi-8MTV-1.

In addition, specialized Mi-8MTP-1 electronic warfare helicopters are based at the Baltimor airfield.

The aviation units of the Russian National Guard and the FSB Border Service, which are deployed in the region, operate transport and patrol versions of the Mi-8AMT and Mi-8MTV-1.