Russia accidentally shoots down its own £11,000,000 helicopter

| Live News Reporter Published October 2, 2026 9:12pm Updated October 2, 2026 9:12pm The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down, killing all three onboard (Picture: e2w) A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter worth £11 million was shot down by Vladimir Putin’s own air defences, reports say. Three crew members – the pilot, navigator and gunner – were killed in the ‘friendly fire’ incident in the Voronezh region. The helicopter was lost as it attempted to deter incoming Ukrainian drones. Russian pro-war channels are infuriated after the incident, claiming the army is ‘incompetent’ as the war in Ukraine prepares to enter its fifth year in February. One Telegram channel wrote: ‘I will not name the causes. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. ‘The cause is a classic one, one that humanity is unlikely to ever manage to defeat.’ The post accused senior commanders of being ‘****ing morons.’ In 2024, a similar accident happened when a £11.5 million stealth drone was shot out of the sky by Putin’s Su-57 warplane. Two aircraft were seen speeding across the sky over eastern Ukraine when the trailing plane fired a missile and hit the other. The attacked aircraft exploded and fell out of the sky before the other plane – believed to be a hi-tech Su-57 – veered off to the side. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Putin warns he’s ready to go nuclear over Kaliningrad Arrow MORE: ‘Professor Doomsday’ warns Putin will push nuclear button if West sends troops to Ukraine Arrow MORE: Putin increases military spending by 27% to record £150,000,000,000 next year News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.