Russian military bloggers report heavy helicopter losses following Baltic drone strike

Russian pro-war Telegram channels reported significant losses among helicopter crews defending against an overnight Ukrainian drone barrage targeting the Baltic port of Ust-Luga in Leningrad Oblast. According to the accounts, up to seven military personnel across three crews were killed during the engagement, which allegedly resulted in the destruction of a Ka-52 attack helicopter and potentially a Mi-8 transport aircraft.

Russian defense officials have not officially corroborated the alleged loss of aircraft or personnel. However, regional governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that the drone strike caused a large industrial fire at the port facility, triggered a transformer substation outage, and left three workers injured. Ukrainian defense sources reportedly claimed responsibility for the operation targeting the Russian maritime infrastructure.

Sources: NEXTA, NV, Radio Svoboda, The Insider, Verstka.