Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The friendly-fire reports have not been independently confirmed, but pro-war Russian bloggers have mourned the loss of the crew.
Overnight, a massive Ukrainian drone assault swept across the Leningrad district in northwestern Russia.
Sirens wailed near the Baltic port of Ust-Luga as air defense crews scrambled to fire back. Yet amid the frantic scramble, Russian batteries may have aimed straight at their own side.
According to Serhii Sternenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister on drone warfare citing Russian military channels, local gunners mistakenly destroyed one of their own Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters.
Both crew members on board died in the crash.
The adviser noted that the high-tech aircraft went down as defense units scrambled to shield the coastal shipping hub. Defense officials in Moscow have stayed completely silent about the incident.
Even so, grief spilled out across influential pro-war Telegram channels within hours.
Chaos in the dark
Ilya Tumanov, an aviation commentator behind the pro-war Fighterbomber channel, posted a grim message mourning fallen airmen. “Today’s defense of the skies over St. Petersburg against the drone attack came at a very high cost. A very, very, very high cost. Eternal flight, brothers,” Tumanov wrote according to UNITED24 Media.
Russia often sends the twin-seat Alligator, known for its dual rotors, into the night to hunt low-flying drones. While military bloggers stopped short of openly confirming friendly fire, several channels acknowledged fatal losses among flight crews during the overnight raid.
Meanwhile, the drone raid struck a severe blow on the ground. Several drones slammed into a fuel depot at Ust-Luga, igniting a massive blaze that lit up the water.
Fire-tracking satellite data from NASA’s FIRMS monitoring system confirmed intense heat signatures across the Baltic facility, an essential hub for Russian petroleum exports.
The chaotic night exposed the growing strain on Russia’s home air defenses. Guarding vital infrastructure against relentless long-range strikes is proving dangerously unpredictable, even for Moscow’s elite units.
