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Satellite Images Confirm Ukrainian Drone Strike Took Out Russian Mi-8 and Mi-24 in Crimea
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukrainian Defense Forces carried out a drone strike on Simferopol Airport in occupied Crimea on August 30, destroying two Russian helicopters, according to the satellite imagery analysis group AviaVector.
Satellite images taken on August 30 show the aftermath of the attack, with visible fire and smoke in the area where a Mi-8 transport helicopter and a Mi-24 attack helicopter had been stationed.
Comparative imagery from August 22 confirmed that several Russian aircraft, including five Mi-8s, three Mi-24s, one An-26, and one Tu-134UBL, were concentrated in a relatively small section of the airfield.
❗️ Ukrainian drones destroyed two helicopters at Simferopol airport on August 30.
— AviVector (@avivector) August 30, 2025
On August 30, around 06:30 UTC, Russian monitoring resources recorded the movement of drones heading toward Simferopol airport. Later, footage of a fire near the airport appeared online.
According… pic.twitter.com/z5XU9FUxip
According to monitoring channels, movement of Ukrainian drones towards Simferopol was detected around 06:30 local time on August 30. Initial reports suggested the strike had hit aviation fuel storage, but satellite evidence confirmed the destroyed aircraft instead.
The Mi-8 helicopter remains one of the most widely used platforms in the Russian Armed Forces, serving in transport, assault, and air defense roles, as well as for countering Ukrainian surface drones.
The Mi-24, while less actively deployed due to the presence of newer Ka-52 and Mi-28 helicopters, continues to be used in defensive missions.
Earlier on May 31, a Ukrainian partisan reportedly sabotaged a Russian Mi-28 helicopter at the 344th Army Aviation Training Center near Torzhok, Tver region, by planting explosives under its landing gear, according to the National Resistance movement.
