Russia may have lost Mi-8 helicopter, crew over Crimea

Russia may have lost a Mi-8 military helicopter worth an estimated $15 million over temporarily occupied Crimea late on Tuesday (May 5), according to Russian pro-war Telegram channels.

One Russian propagandist account posted a photograph alongside the message: “The earth is the sky, warriors!”, suggesting the aircraft had crashed and the crew had been killed.

The reports could not be independently verified.

Another Russian military blogger, Kirill Fyodorov, shared a photograph showing two Russian servicemen standing in front of a helicopter.

“Farewell, friend! Farewell, lads! Eternal flight,” the caption read, fuelling speculation that two crew members had died in the incident.

The reported crash is believed to have occurred in airspace over Russian-occupied Crimea, although no official confirmation has been issued by the Russian Defence Ministry.

The Mi-8 is a Soviet-designed twin-engine multipurpose helicopter developed in the early 1960s and remains one of the world’s most widely used military transport helicopters. It is used for troop transport, combat support and other military and civilian missions.

The reports come days after Ukrainian forces said they had struck two Russian helicopters — a Mi-28 and a Mi-17 — in Russia’s Voronezh region, around 150 km from the frontline.

By Aghakazim Guliyev