Strana 25
The sole confirmed aerial loss during this
period occurred on Thursday, November
7. In the Kursk region, a group of Russian
helicopters took off to support ground forces
but was intercepted by Ukrainian FPV drones.
A Kamov Ka-52 from the 15th Army Aviation
Brigade was hit and destroyed. Both crew
members ejected; the navigator was injured,
but the pilot, Ilya Noskov, did not survive.
Another loss for Russian helicopter aviation
occurred on Sunday, November 10, although
this time on the ground. At the Klin airbase
in the Moscow region, a saboteur set a Mi-24
helicopter on fire, causing severe damage.
Video footage shows the burning helicopter,
indicating that its engines had been removed—
suggesting it was either undergoing repairs or
was already decommissioned.
On Tuesday, November 26, an incident
occurring over 1,300 kilometers from the
front lines in Bashkortostan, Russia, was
closely tied to the war in Ukraine. That night,
a civilian Antonov An-2R operated by Rusavia
(registration RA-40935) took off from Ufa
Airport. With two pilots and a photographer
aboard, its mission was to take infrared
photographs of a heating pipeline in the city
of Salavat at the request of a geophysical
company.
Approaching Salavat at 300 meters altitude
with its navigation lights on, the aircraft
was mistaken for an attacking Ukrainian
drone. Sirens sounded in the city, warning
of an air raid, and the defense system of
a local chemical plant opened fire. The pilots
immediately reported being under "friendly"
fire, which soon ceased.
The An-2R returned to Ufa Airport, and
initial reports stated it had been hit by only
three projectiles. However, video footage
after landing revealed numerous bullet holes.
High-caliber machine gun rounds (likely
14.5 mm) punctured various parts of the
fuselage and wings, while at least two anti-
aircraft cannon grenades struck the aircraft.
One tore through a floor beam, while the
other created a hole several decimeters wide
in a wing. Miraculously, no one was injured,
though one crew member's suit was pierced
by a bullet. No reports mentioned damage to
the crew's undergarments, particularly for the
one with the torn clothing.
Evidence of the previous losses also
surfaced. The Military Watch website published
Maxar satellite images showing Kirovskoe
airbase in occupied Crimea. These images,
taken between 2022 and 2023, revealed up to
ten disassembled helicopter airframes without
rotors. The aircraft included four Mi-28s, three
Mi-8s, two Mi-24s, and one unidentified model.
These were likely helicopters damaged during
the war in Ukraine. They could represent
claims by Ukrainian defenders that were never
confirmed as the official kills.
On the Ukrainian side, one confirmed loss
occurred during the entire month: on Friday,
November 22, a MiG-29 was destroyed by an
Iskander missile at Dnipro Airfield.
On November 7, pilot Ilya Noskov did not survive
the destruction of the Russian Ka-52 helicopter.
A video frame shows damage to the wing
of an An-2R, which fell victim to "friendly
fire“ on November 26 over the city
of Salavat in the Bashkir region of Russia.
On November 22, an Iskander missile destroyed
a Ukrainian MiG-29 at the Dnipro airport.
A Maxar satellite image shows helicopter wrecks
at the Kirovskoe base in Crimea.
A Russian Mi-24 helicopter in flames after
a saboteur's attack on November 10
at the Klin base near Moscow.
New images from the crash site of the Russian Mi-24VM helicopter,
shot down by a Stinger missile on June 16, 2022, in the Volnovakha
district of the Donetsk region. The aircraft, marked RF-91410 with
tail number "blue 30," belonged to the 487th Separate Helicopter
Regiment. Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Gundorov and Lieutenant
Dmitry Yevdokimov did not survive the attack.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard
25
January 2025