Since the beginning of the attack on Ukraine, Russia has lost more than a quarter of all its Ka-52 attack helicopters. An explosion now destroys two more and one ?i-28N. What is special about the incident – it takes place in north-western Russia, hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian sources, three Russian combat helicopters were destroyed at an air base in the Pskov region in northwestern Russia. A strong explosion occurred at Weretje airfield on Monday night, the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR told Telegram. Two Ka-52 Alligator helicopters and one Mi-28N were completely destroyed, it said. According to Kiev, two other helicopters were severely damaged in the detonation.
The Weretje air base, where the explosion is said to have occurred, is located in the Pskov region, around 500 kilometers northwest of the Russian capital Moscow. Around 150 kilometers to the west are the borders with EU and NATO member states Latvia and Estonia. The distance to the nearest border of Ukraine is at least 700 kilometers, to Kyiv – 900 kilometers.
As a result of the explosion, the wreckage of the helicopters was scattered within a radius of 200 meters, the Ukrainian secret service wrote on Telegram. “The information about further losses of weapons and personnel are being checked.” The soldiers of the military unit stationed there were looking for “groups of saboteurs,” the statement said. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Russian media and Telegram channels reported three explosions at an airfield in Pskov region. According to the reports, however, only two helicopters were damaged. These were temporarily “unusable” anyway because they were being repaired. Russian authorities have not yet commented on the explosion.
The Kamov Ka-52 Alligator (NATO code: Holum-B) is a Russian-made reconnaissance and attack helicopter. According to the Ukrainian secret service, such a helicopter costs around 16 million US dollars (approx. 16.2 million euros). The British Ministry of Defense announced a few days ago, citing intelligence, that Russia has lost at least 23 helicopters of this type since the invasion began in February. That’s more than a quarter of the operational fleet of 90 Ka-52s.
The Mil Mi-28N is a modified, night combat and all-weather capable version of the Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter. The HUR estimates the price of a Mi-28N at 16 to 18 million US dollars (approx. 16.2 to 18.2 million euros).
