A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter worth £11 million was shot down by Vladimir Putin’s own air defences, reports say.
Three crew members – the pilot, navigator and gunner – were killed in the ‘friendly fire’ incident in the Voronezh region.
The helicopter was lost as it attempted to deter incoming Ukrainian drones.
Russian pro-war channels are infuriated after the incident, claiming the army is ‘incompetent’ as the war in Ukraine prepares to enter its fifth year in February.
One Telegram channel wrote: ‘I will not name the causes.
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‘The cause is a classic one, one that humanity is unlikely to ever manage to defeat.’
The post accused senior commanders of being ‘****ing morons.’
In 2024, a similar accident happened when a £11.5 million stealth drone was shot out of the sky by Putin’s Su-57 warplane.
Two aircraft were seen speeding across the sky over eastern Ukraine when the trailing plane fired a missile and hit the other.
The attacked aircraft exploded and fell out of the sky before the other plane – believed to be a hi-tech Su-57 – veered off to the side.
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