Ukrainian Ghosts Unit Strikes Three Mi-8 Helicopters Satellite Images Confirm at Least One Destroyed

The Ghosts (Prymary) unit of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) successfully struck three Russian Mi-8 helicopters, destroying at least one, along with a “Nebo-U” air defense radar system, in temporarily occupied Crimea.

The press service of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine released video footage confirming the precision strike.

The special forces’ strike drones penetrated deep into the Russian airbase, targeting and hitting three multi-role helicopters. At least one drone made a direct hit on a Mi-8, resulting in its complete destruction.

A satellite image released by the agency confirmed the destruction of the helicopter. The image shows that, as a result of the strike and the subsequent fire, the Mi-8 was completely destroyed.

Additionally, one of the strike drones directly hit the antenna of a Nebo-U long-range air defense radar, rendering it inoperative. This radar is capable of detecting a target the size of a fighter jet flying at an altitude of 20 kilometers from a distance of up to 400 kilometers.

The Nebo-U is not part of any individual surface-to-air missile system but serves as a component of a layered air defense network, providing continuous airspace monitoring. It transmits target data to command posts in defense sectors, where it is then relayed to air defense units.

The targeting of such radars is part of a systematic campaign to degrade the air defense system over Crimea. This creates safer corridors for Ukrainian strike assets to operate.

Thanks to the systematic effort to disable Russian radar systems, drone operators from the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine managed to breach the Saky military air base twice in July alone, striking approximately six Russian fighter jets.

In addition, the Ghosts unit hit Mi-8 helicopters at the Gvardeyskoye military air base. At the Kirovske air base, transport helicopters – Mi-8 and Mi-26 – as well as a Mi-28 attack helicopter were damaged, which was later confirmed by satellite imagery.

However, the targets of these attacks have not been limited to aircraft. Command centers, barracks, ammunition depots, railway infrastructure, and space communication facilities have also come under strike.

Between late August and early September, at least three missile strikes were reported. These hit a communications hub of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, artillery depots of the Dnepr military group, as well as FSS border guard barracks and hovercraft.

Additionally, in early September, rocket-assisted drones struck a space communications center, while strike UAVs repeatedly targeted power substations critical to railway operations.

For a detailed overview of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine’s strikes against Russian targets in Crimea in August 2025, see the special report: “Blinding the Invaders’ Air Defenses: Details of the August Series of Strikes on Russian Radars in Crimea.”