Strana 20
UKRAJINA
Ukrainian unit to operate there in exchange
for drone technology transfers. The burned-
out wreck of the tanker remains afloat,
drifting about 120 miles north of Benghazi,
with multiple towing attempts having failed.
Russian losses
The first Russian loss in the observed
period occurred on March 3 in Rostov Oblast
during a Ukrainian drone attack. Russian air
defenses accidentally shot down their own
Mi-8 AMTSh helicopter, which had taken off
to counter the drones. The aircraft crashed
in flames, killing all three crew members,
including Lieutenant Ruslan Yerkin and
Lieutenant Ramzil Sadrtdinov.
On March 5, a Ukrainian reconnaissance
drone spotted a Russian naval Ka-27PS
helicopter landing on the Syvash oil platform
in the Black Sea. An attack drone was then
directed at it, destroying the helicopter.
On March 20, a Russian Kamov Ka-52 was
hit mid-air by a Ukrainian FPV drone. Although
such incidents have occurred before, they
remain rare. Video footage suggests the
drone was waiting for the helicopters—either
tipped off in advance or exploiting predictable
flight paths.
The drone belonged to Ukraine’s 59th
Assault Brigade. It initially failed to intercept
the first Ka-52 but maneuvered directly into
the path of a second one. The helicopter was
hit near Kotliarivka, caught fire, and made an
emergency landing near Nadiivka. The crew
escaped but were later killed by additional
FPV drones. They were identified as Captain
Timur Gimranov and Lieutenant Ilya Kuzhlev
of Russia’s 17th Army Aviation Brigade.
The next day, March 21, Russia lost another
Ka-52 under unclear circumstances, though
military bloggers suggested it was also hit by
a drone. Both crew members ejected, but only
one survived.
On March 31, Russian aviation suffered
multiple losses. A Sukhoi Su-34 was lost
under unclear circumstances—its pilot died,
while the navigator reportedly survived.
Later, a Antonov An-26 crashed near
Kuibyshevo in Crimea, possibly after colliding
with terrain during a Ukrainian drone attack.
All 29 people onboard were killed, including
six crew members and 23 passengers—
officers of Russia’s Northern Fleet from
Murmansk, including Lieutenant General
Alexander Otroshchenko and Colonel Igor
Davydov.
In the port of Vyborg, the patrol icebreaker Purga partially sank after a Ukrainian airstrike.
The
burned-out
tanker Arctic
Metagaz
of Russia’s
shadow fleet
remained
drifting
in the Me-
diterranean
Sea between
Malta and
Libya.
INFO Eduard20
May 2026