a drone strike by Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SOF) brought down a Russian Ka52 attack helicopter in Russia’s border region of Kursk. The bold operation was confirmed in footage shared by the SOF through their Telegram channel on Friday. The drone, a First Person View (FPV) model fitted with explosive munitions, successfully targeted and hit the helicopter, resulting in a visible explosion.
The operation was executed by the elite Balista unit, part of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, and demonstrates Ukraine’s increasing use of modern technology to target Russian military assets far beyond the frontlines. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had reported a Russian helicopter downed the previous day. It is believed to be the same Ka52 shown in the SOF video.
According to Ukrainian sources, the helicopter crew’s commander was Captain Egorov, whose death was acknowledged in an obituary published shortly before the SOF released footage of the strike.
The Ka52, known to NATO as the “Alligator,” is one of Russia’s most advanced all-weather attack helicopters and reportedly costs around 16 million US dollars or roughly 12.6 million pounds sterling. Its destruction on Russian soil is seen as a significant loss for the Kremlin, both in terms of material and morale.
The attack follows a growing pattern of drone-led Ukrainian operations that have disabled Russian aircraft, fuel depots, and logistics hubs both within Ukraine and across the border. Analysts suggest this trend will intensify as Ukraine refines its remote strike capabilities and increasingly targets critical assets supporting the Russian war machine.
