03/4/2026
On the night of March 4, the Russian military shot down its own helicopter during air defense operations in the Rostov region of the Russian Federation. According to preliminary data, this happened while repelling an attack by Ukrainian drones over the region.
Information about the incident first appeared in Russian Telegram chats. It was later picked up by so-called z-publics, which confirmed the destruction of the helicopter by “friendly fire”. The reports indicate that the aircraft was hit during air defense operations against Ukrainian UAVs, and the crew was killed.
At first, the version that the Russian helicopter could have been shot down by Ukrainian drones was spread. However, later in the Russian information space, people started writing about friendly fire. The authors of the posts claim that the air defense calculations opened fire on their own aircraft while repelling the attack.
A number of reports emphasize that the decision to open fire was made in conditions of night alert and active air defense. Some Russian sources directly attribute the incident to incoordination between units.
What is known so far?
According to preliminary information, the helicopter was destroyed in the air over the territory of the Rostov region. Data on the type of aircraft is currently being clarified. It is also reported that the crew may have died as a result of a fire after the hit.
There is no official confirmation from the Russian Ministry of Defense as of March 4. The Supernova+ public was the first to publish photos and videos from the scene, which show a flash in the sky and the subsequent fire. The circumstances of the incident continue to be investigated.
Earlier, OBOZ.UA reported that on the night of January 14, a series of powerful explosions were heard in Rostov-on-Don. According to preliminary data, drones attacked one of the infrastructure facilities. After the UAV raid, a large-scale fire broke out in the city.