Forbes reports that a Russian mobile firing group in the Voronezh region shot down its own Ka-52 Alligator helicopter while attempting to repel an attack by Ukrainian drones. The exact date of the incident has not been disclosed.
On July 2, Z-blogger Alexei Zemtsov’s "Voevoda Veshchaet" Telegram channel reported the loss of the aircraft, noting that the pilot had died. A few days later, another Russian "war correspondent," Vladimir Romanov, claimed that the Ka-52 helicopter was hit by a Verba mobile air defense system belonging to the field army's reserves.
According to Forbes, there were two crew members (a pilot and a navigator) on board at the time of the incident. They ejected, but one died due to a system malfunction, while the other survived.
Forbes notes that the Russian army lost the new-generation helicopter, worth approximately $16 million, to "friendly fire" while it was assigned to shoot down low-cost Ukrainian drones. According to the source, soldiers in firing groups, struggling with low wages, are attempting to claim credit for destroyed targets. They are promised $200 for every downed drone, against a weekly salary of $133.
Russian authorities have not officially confirmed that the helicopter was shot down by the soldiers of the mobile firing group.
