A Russian Ka-27 helicopter was reportedly destroyed in Crimea, as announced by Naval Forces of Ukraine spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk on Facebook.
“Minus the Russian Ka-27 in Crimea. It was looking for something. It found it,” he wrote.
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Initially, Pletenchuk did not disclose further details, such as the weapon used for the destruction or the exact location of the incident.
But later he informed Radio Svoboda, “From the information we have, there was an explosion of this helicopter in the air. The reasons have not yet been determined.”
He said that he is not prepared to provide confirmed details at this time.
The ongoing search operation, according to Pletenchuk, involved the Russian use of other helicopters and the Raptor boat.
“There is no information available yet on the fate of the crew. All of this occurred not far from Chornomorskе,” he added.
As of this morning, Pletenchuk stated that the search operation was still in progress. The incident itself occurred at dawn today.
He also said that Russian troops are enhancing their air patrols along the coast to detect potential threats in advance.
“As I mentioned earlier, with the increased use of aviation, including older models, such incidents like today's may become more frequent,” Pletenchuk reported.
According to the Crimean Wind Telegram channel, the Russian Black Sea Fleet employs these helicopters to search for Ukrainian naval drones and landing craft. These helicopters are stationed at the airfield in Kacha, located in the Bakhchysarai region of Crimea.
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The Russian Ministry of Defense has yet to comment on this incident.
The Ka-27 is a Soviet-designed naval multi-purpose helicopter utilized for anti-submarine defense of the fleet across various ship classes.
It possesses the capability to detect modern submarines and surface targets, transmit data to ship and shore points and engage targets using onboard weapons.
Capable of detecting, tracking, and engaging submarines at depths up to 500 meters and speeds up to 75 km/h, within search areas extending up to 200 km from the base ship, in sea waves up to 5 points, day and night, in varying weather conditions.
The Ka-27 can perform tactical missions both individually and in groups, in coordination with ships, across all geographical latitudes. It can operate from coastal airfields or ships.
Since the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has reportedly lost 325 rotorcraft in the war. However, the downing of the Ka-27 helicopter was not mentioned during the morning briefing by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
The last known report of a Russian helicopter destroyed by the AFU was in early February. At that time, the commander of the Tavria operational-strategic group of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavsky, disclosed the downing of a Russian Ka-52 helicopter in the Avdiivka region.
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