Fatal mistake: Russia jails officer for destroying own Mi-8 helicopter

Captain Igor Pashkov, an officer in the Russian Air Force, has been sentenced for shooting down a Mi-8MTV-5-1 helicopter instead of a Ukrainian drone while defending Crimea from an attack.

The incident occurred on October 18, 2023, when Pashkov was on duty as the senior assistant to the operational duty officer at the air defence unit’s command post in Crimea, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Pashkov, who was found guilty of negligence resulting in the death of three individuals, was sentenced under part 3 of article 293 of the Russian Criminal Code. The court determined that, on the morning of the incident at 6:30 a.m., Pashkov received a report about a low-flying, low-speed air target. However, a miscommunication occurred when the chief of the combat calculation, who had given Pashkov the call sign for the target, mistakenly reported the location of the target as being in a different sector. This led Pashkov to misinterpret the situation.

The chief of the calculation later clarified that the target was a helicopter, which was flying with its lights on, but by that time, it was too late. Pashkov did not trust the subsequent clarification, and a verification check revealed that there were no enemy aircraft in the area. As a result, just two minutes after receiving the initial report, a missile from a TOR-M2DT anti-aircraft missile system was fired at the target.

The missile hit the helicopter, causing it to crash into the Black Sea. Three crew members, all captains, were killed in the incident.

Following the attack, the Russian military investigative bodies opened a case for violations of combat duty protocols, which resulted in severe consequences. The investigation, initially conducted against unidentified persons, led to Pashkov’s confession last May, where he admitted to making the fatal error.

The investigation concluded that Pashkov’s negligence in failing to properly identify the aircraft and its location led to the deadly mistake of "friendly fire" on the Mi-8MTV-5-1.

By Tamilla Hasanova