Overview
- Ukraine’s 59th Separate Assault Brigade said a fiber‑optic FPV drone struck a Ka‑52 near Nadiivka in Donetsk region and released video and photos showing burning wreckage.
- Ukrainian accounts initially reported the crew escaped with severe burns in critical condition, though a later brigade update claimed the crew was eliminated in follow‑up action.
- The brigade attributed the strike to the 1st Battalion’s “Predators of the Heights” operators, with the “Baltyka” crew named in earlier reports, and credited the 1st Battalion of the 414th “Magyar’s Birds” Brigade with stopping the escaping crew.
- Ukrainian reconnaissance reported that Russian rescue teams were unable to reach the crash site due to the tactical situation on the ground.
- Ukrinform reported the Unmanned Systems Forces called this the second helicopter credited to the 59th Brigade, reflecting the expanding use of low‑cost FPV drones against high‑value rotary‑wing targets.