A Belarusian Air Force Mi-24 helicopter attacked and destroyed a Russian “Gerbera” strike drone heading toward Ukraine on 12 July, a source in Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Main Intelligence Directorate told Hromadske.

The source indicated that at least three Russian drones were operating in Belarusian airspace at the time of the incident.

“The Belarusian air defense helicopter, while performing airspace control duties, reported the detection and destruction of the strike drone,” the intelligence source said, according to Hromadske.

Debris from the downed drone fell in the Gomel region of Belarus, the source confirmed.

The incident occurred during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine involving 339 Shahed strike drones, 258 other types of unmanned aircraft, and 26 Kh-101 cruise missiles. Russian forces targeted multiple Ukrainian oblasts, with Kharkiv, Lviv, Lutsk, and Chernivtsi coming under Russian fire.

In Lutsk, a private residence was destroyed. Lviv’s Zaliznychny district saw a fire on the roof of a non-residential building, with several buildings damaged, including residential structures and a kindergarten. Windows were blown out and dozens of vehicles were damaged. Nine people were injured, with no fatalities reported.

Chernivtsi suffered casualties from the Russian attack, with two people killed and ten injured.