Russia May Have Shot Down Its Own Ka-52, Killing Both Pilots During Ukrainian Drone Attack

Russian air defenses may have accidentally shot down a Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter during a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Leningrad region overnight on November 11, reportedly killing both crew members.

Ukrainian volunteer and adviser to Ukraine’s defense minister on drone warfare Serhii Sternenko reported the helicopter’s loss on November 11, citing Russian military-related sources. According to Sternenko, the Ka-52 was lost while Russian forces were attempting to repel a Ukrainian drone attack targeting the strategically important Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga.

He initially suggested that Russian air defenses may have mistakenly shot down one of their own aircraft before identifying the reported loss as a Ka-52 attack helicopter.

The claims followed several messages from Russian military aviation-related Telegram channels indicating that Russian aircrews had suffered fatal losses during the overnight operation.

Ilya Tumanov, a Russian military aviation blogger who operates the Fighterbomber Telegram channel, described the defense of St. Petersburg as particularly costly.

“Today’s defense of the skies over St. Petersburg against the drone attack came at a very high cost. A very, very, very high cost. Eternal flight, brothers,” Tumanov wrote.

Although the messages suggest that Russian military aviators were killed, neither channel explicitly confirmed that Russian air defenses had shot down the helicopter.

The exact circumstances of the reported incident remain unclear, and Russian authorities have not officially confirmed the loss of a Ka-52 or the deaths of its two crew members.

The Ka-52 Alligator is a Russian twin-seat attack helicopter equipped with a coaxial rotor system and designed to engage armored vehicles, ground targets, and certain aerial threats. Russian forces have also employed attack helicopters in efforts to intercept Ukrainian drones.

The reported loss occurred during a major overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Leningrad region, home to St. Petersburg and several strategically important Baltic Sea ports.

During the same operation, Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil terminal at the port of Ust-Luga, triggering a large fire. Thermal anomalies in the area were also detected by NASA’s FIRMS satellite fire-monitoring system.

Ust-Luga is one of Russia’s major Baltic Sea export hubs, handling shipments of crude oil, petroleum products, and other commodities.

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