'Going down': Russian helicopter pilot after hit by Ukraine drone; video surfaces online

Russia alsolaunched an aerial attack on Ukraine on Tuesday, striking the capital and other regions with multiple missiles and drones.

Ukraine military intelligence has claimed that its naval drone had destroyed a Russian chopper and damaged another near Cape Tarkhankut over the Black Sea.

In a video shared by Ukraine's GUR spy agency, the Russian helicopter pilot was heard panicking during a radio call after being hit by a Ukrainian missile. “GUR soldiers destroyed an air target for the first time in the world using a Magura V5 naval drone,” posted the Ukrainian agency on X.

# Magura V5 https://t.co/Td2vPEy6Stpic.twitter.com/UC3SNnp6ah

Defence intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) December 31, 2024

It was the first time that a Ukrainian naval drone had downed a Russian helicopter. In the video, a helicopter could be seen through a thermal imager. It was shown as a bright object against the dark sky. After being hit by a missile fired from a Magura V5 naval drone, the Russian chopped drowned into the Black Sea.

In the intercepted radio communications, the pilot could be heard saying, "482, I'm hit, going down!" reported Forbes.

The intercept continues, "There was an explosion - I got hit. The launch came from the water. Then there was another flash. I didn't see where it went, but the first one hit me directly and exploded nearby - I felt it on the helicopter. Some systems have failed."

Meanwhile, Russia launched an aerial attack on Ukraine on Tuesday, striking the capital and other regions with multiple missiles and drones.

Ukraine's air force reported a ballistic missile threat at 3 am (0100 GMT), with at least two explosions heard in Kyiv minutes later. Another missile alert was issued at 8 am followed by at least one explosion in the city. Missile debris fell in the Darnytskyi district of the capital with no reports of casualties or damage, the local administration said.

Authorities in the northeastern Sumy region reported strikes near the city of Shostka, where the mayor, Mykola Noha, said 12 residential buildings had been damaged as well as two educational facilities. He said some “social infrastructure objects” were destroyed, without providing detail.

The air force also reported missiles and drones targeting several other regions of Ukraine.