Strana 19
the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade. Its pilot,
Captain Vladyslav Solop, was killed. Another
casualty was Captain Mykola Karpov, a ground
aviation technician from the 40th Tactical
Aviation Brigade. He was killed on Tuesday,
December 31, during a Russian missile
attack on Vasylkiv Air Base in the Kyiv region.
The extent of the damage to the base is not yet
known. Karpov was posthumously promoted to
the rank of Major.
Russian Losses
The first confirmed Russian loss during
the observed period also occurred on
Saturday, December 14, at Krymsk Air Base
in the Krasnodar region. Ukrainian military
intelligence set fire to and damaged a Su-27P
with a bort number "Red 16" and registration
RF-92406, which belonged to the 3rd Mixed
Aviation Regiment. On Friday, December 20,
Ukrainian intelligence reported damage to
another aircraft—a military transport An-72—
at an airfield near Moscow. On Wednesday,
December 18, a Kamov Ka-52 helicopter was
hit and shot down by friendly fire. Both Russian
pilots were killed. The helicopter commander
was Lieutenant Daniil Chepurnov. His obituary
mentioned only that he died while carrying
out a combat mission in the "special military
operation" zone.
Naval Drones Strike Back
The worst day for Russian aviation came
at the very end of the month. On Tuesday,
December 31, Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drones
were operating in the Black Sea. Russia has
long deployed helicopters and aircraft against
them, so Ukraine has started equipping these
unmanned boats with anti-aircraft weapons.
Ukraine claims to have hit several helicopters
in the past, but until now, no confirmed kills had
been recorded. Near the Tarkhankut Peninsula
in western Crimea, Ukrainian drones hit two
Mi-8 helicopters with R-73 missiles. According
to Ukraine, one crashed immediately, while
the other was damaged and attempted to
return to the shore. Later, Russia confirmed
that the second helicopter also crashed. Each
helicopter carried eight personnel, and none
survived. This indicates that, in addition to the
standard crew of three aviators, each aircraft
also carried five additional soldiers—machine
gunners and electronic systems operators.
During December, a video emerged showing
Ukrainian naval drones firing machine guns
at helicopters (and even a Sukhoi fighter jet).
At least one helicopter was seriously damaged
A few days later, Russia released an image of the same aircraft. The photo was taken from
an angle that conceals possible damage to the rear section, where the fire occurred.
Images appeared on social media showing a Russian Su-25SM3
that collided mid-air with a Zala reconnaissance drone.
A Russian Mi-24 helicopter got stuck in the mud,
presumably at an advanced base. The photo
surfaced during the monitoring period, but details
remain unknown.Images appeared on social media showing a Russian Su-25SM3 that collided mid-air with a Zala reconnaissance drone.
UKRAINE
INFO Eduard
19
February 2025