Russia may have shot down three of its own helicopters

Fighterbomber, a Russian Telegram channel close to the country’s Aerospace Forces, posted a plain black square Wednesday morning. Underneath, channel owner Ilya Tumanov wrote that defending St. Petersburg from Ukrainian drones overnight “cost us very dearly.”

“Very, very, very dearly,” he added.

Another pro-war channel, Voevoda Veshchaet, went further. It said “3 experienced crews, seven brave Warriors” had died, and called the night a “huge wound” for the Aerospace Forces.

Neither post said which aircraft went down. Or where, or how.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense hasn’t reported any losses. The Defence Blog couldn’t independently verify the claims.

The only aircraft anyone has pointed to is a Ka-52. The channel Na Predele put up a black-and-white photo of one and said the pilots couldn’t be brought back. A Ka-52 carries two people, so a single one doesn’t account for seven. Some channels say three helicopters of different types were lost, possibly including an Mi-8, which usually flies with three crew. Russia has sent Mi-8s after drones before, one of them rigged as a flying drone jammer.

Ukrainian commentator Serhii Sternenko suggested Russian air defenses may have hit their own aircraft. He didn’t show proof. It wouldn’t be the first time Russian forces were suspected of downing one of their own helicopters.

On the ground, the drones went after Ust-Luga, which Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko called “Russia’s largest port on the Baltic Sea.” Several hit the port and set off a fire. Three workers were hurt, he said, though their lives weren’t in danger.

Drozdenko said air defenses shot down 150 Ukrainian drones over the region overnight. He didn’t mention any aircraft.

No names of the dead have been released.

“Eternal flight, brothers,” Tumanov wrote at the end of his post.