- Category
- Latest news
Top Executives of Russia’s Kizlyar Defense Plant Killed in Dagestan Helicopter Crash
- Authors
![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Five senior employees of Russia’s Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant (KEMZ), a defense enterprise within the Rostec conglomerate, were killed in a Ka-226 helicopter crash in Dagestan, according to The Moscow Times on November 9.
The aircraft, owned by the plant, went down near the settlement of Achi-Su in the Karabudakhkent district while en route from Kizlyar to the “Sunny Shore” resort near Izberbash.
❗️The moment of yesterday's Ka-226 helicopter crash in 🇷🇺Dagestan with employees of the military plant "Kizlyar Electromechanical Plant"
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) November 8, 2025
The accident killed the deputy general director, chief engineer and chief designer pic.twitter.com/JVVKEWc43E
Among the victims were deputy general director for construction and logistics Achalo Magomedov, chief power engineer Sergey Suslov, chief helicopter design engineer Sirazhudin Saaduev, and driver Islam Dzhabrailov, The Moscow Times reported. The fifth fatality, the helicopter’s flight engineer, died later in the hospital.
Two people survived the crash: KEMZ executive director Akhmat Akhmatov—the son of the plant’s general director—and test pilot Vladimir Andreyev. Both were hospitalized with burns in Makhachkala’s medical center.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations, the helicopter attempted an emergency landing near a pier but struck the structure with its tail boom before lifting off again. Moments later, the aircraft lost control, disintegrated midair, and crashed onto an unoccupied residential building, igniting a fire.
KEMZ manufactures components and systems for Russia’s military aviation sector, including helicopters, light aircraft, and anti-drone systems. The company was placed under US sanctions in 2022 for its involvement in Russia’s “malicious activities abroad.”
In 2024, the European Union also sanctioned both the enterprise and its general director, citing the plant’s production of ground control systems and onboard equipment for Su-25 aircraft used in the war against Ukraine.
Earlier, a Russian Ka-52 “Alligator” attack helicopter was reportedly shot down over occupied territory. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat noted that Ka-52 helicopters remain among the most dangerous Russian aircraft but said Ukrainian mobile air defense teams are effectively targeting them.
-f223fd1ef983f71b86a8d8f52216a8b2.jpg)
