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Reçu aujourd’hui — 31 août 2025
  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • Russian Mi helicopters hunt drones—but in occupied Crimea, the drones hunted them
    Militarnyi reports that a Ukrainian drone strike on 30 August 2025 destroyed two Russian helicopter gunships at the airfield in occupied Crimea’s capital, Simferopol. Satellite imagery published by the AviaVector X account confirmed the destruction of a Mi-8 and a Mi-24 helicopter at the site. Russia occupied Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and later used it as a springboard for the full-scale invasion of mainland Ukraine from the south in 2022. Today, Crimea plays a
     
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✇Euromaidan Press

Russian Mi helicopters hunt drones—but in occupied Crimea, the drones hunted them

Par :Yuri Zoria
31 août 2025 à 03:38

russian mi helicopters hunt drones—but occupied crimea drones hunted satellite images two destroyed simferopol airport heli chopper militarnyi reports ukrainian drone strike 30 2025 helicopter gunships airfield crimea’s capital imagery

Militarnyi reports that a Ukrainian drone strike on 30 August 2025 destroyed two Russian helicopter gunships at the airfield in occupied Crimea’s capital, Simferopol. Satellite imagery published by the AviaVector X account confirmed the destruction of a Mi-8 and a Mi-24 helicopter at the site.

Russia occupied Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and later used it as a springboard for the full-scale invasion of mainland Ukraine from the south in 2022. Today, Crimea plays a key role in supporting Russian military operations in southern Ukraine, and Kyiv regularly targets Moscow’s military assets across the peninsula.

Satellite confirms two helicopters destroyed in occupied Crimea

According to Militarnyi, the drone attack took place at approximately 06:30 on 30 August, when Russian monitoring channels began reporting the movement of drones toward Simferopol. Following the reports, a powerful explosion occurred at the airport, followed by thick black smoke.

AviaVector’s satellite imagery captured on the same day showed two attack helicopters destroyed as a result of the strike. An earlier image from 22 August showed a group of military aircraft stationed close together at the airfield. Specifically, the photo documented five Mi-8 helicopters, three Mi-24s, one An-26, and one Tu-134UBL. Militarnyi notes that all these aircraft were concentrated in a small area.

Initial claims after the explosion suggested that aviation fuel tanks had been hit, but this information was later proven false. The satellite images confirmed that the damage involved airframes, not fuel infrastructure.

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Russian Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters among the destroyed aircraft

Mi-8 helicopters are currently in wide use by the Russian Armed Forces and are the main transport helicopter in Russian military service. The exact model of the Mi-8 destroyed in Simferopol is unknown. However, Mi-8 helicopters are used by Russian forces for troop transport, strike missions, air defense tasks, and operations against Ukrainian naval drones.

Prior confirmed case of drone-launched missile strike on Mi-8s

On 31 December 2024, Ukrainian forces destroyed two Mi-8 helicopters using R-73 air-to-air missiles launched from a sea-based drone. This was the first confirmed use of this method to eliminate an airborne target.

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