Russians Lose 2 KA-52 'Copters In 24 Hours, the First To Ukraine Fiber Optic Drone

Russian forces in Donetsk lost two KA-52 "Alligator" helicopters within 24 hours in the past few days. The first was especially significant because it was taken down by a Ukrainian FPV fiber optic drone. 

The implication of this chain of events - the loss of one helicopter being noteworthy but of two within a day being almost unheard of - is that Russian electronic warfare and air defenses have been degraded, which confirms reports of the Ukrainian strategy which has intentionally targeted such assets precisely to create these types of opportunities. JL

Julia Struck reports in the Kyiv Post and Roman Pryhodko reports in Militarnyi:

Ukraine destroyed a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter in the Pokrovsk sector using a fiber-optic (FPV) drone. The helicopter was “hunted down” with a drone by pilots from the “Baltika” crew of the “Predators of Heights” battalion in the Donetsk region. Following an emergency landing, the crew attempted to escape but drones of the 1st Battalion, 414th Unmanned Systems Brigade “Birds of Madyar,” eliminated them. Russian forces then lost a second Ka-52 attack helicopter in the past 24 hours. The crew attempted to eject, but one of the pilots was killed immediately upon the helicopter being hit. 

Ukrainian Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) have reportedly destroyed a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter in the Pokrovsk direction using the fiber-optic first-person view (FPV) drone.

The information first appeared on Ukrainian Telegram channels, which said the strike was carried out by fighters from the 59th Separate Assault Brigade of the USF.

Footage circulating on social media shows the aftermath of the strike, with a crashed helicopter lying on the ground, smoking and burning. Another video reportedly captures the Ka-52 in the sight of an FPV drone moments before the hit. 

Kyiv Post was unable to independently verify the time and location of the footage.

Fighters from the “Predators of the Heights” unmanned systems battalion, believed to be behind the strike, hinted at the strike on Telegram, writing: “We have +1. Guess what we are talking about?”

In the comments, users suggested the downing of a Ka-52 helicopter, to which the battalion replied: “Eh, we can’t hide anything from you.”

Later, the downing was also confirmed by the USF commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, who wrote on Telegram:

“The enemy Ka-52 and the crew, which tried to evacuate, were eliminated by the USF Birds in the Donetsk region.” 

According to him, the helicopter was “hunted down” with a fiber-optic FPV drone by pilots from the “Baltika” crew of the “Predators of Heights” battalion near the settlement of Nadiyivka in the Donetsk region.

Even before Brovdi confirmed the strike, conflicting reports about the crew’s fate were circulating on social media. 

Russian military bloggers claimed the crew had survived, while some Ukrainian Telegram channels reported that the pilots had been killed. 

Brovdi later clarified that following an emergency landing, the helicopter crew attempted to escape. However, drones operated by pilots of the 1st Battalion, 414th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade “Birds of Madyar,” eliminated them.

To support his statement, Brovdi published a full video of the operation, showing the moment the helicopter was struck, its crash, and the reported bodies of the pilots. 

The video published by Brovdi shows the drone engaging two helicopters at once. The first managed to evade the strike, while the second was successfully hit.

It is worth noting that this marks the second Russian helicopter destroyed by the 59th Brigade. On Sept. 29, 2025, fighters from the “Predators of Heights” unit also struck a multi-purpose Mi-8.

In a post on Telegram, the unit said:

“Today, we shot down an enemy helicopter for the second time. This time a Ka-52. This is no longer an accident. This is the result of the coordinated work and skill of our guys.”

“A machine worth about $16 million was destroyed by a small drone in the hands of an experienced pilot,” the statement added. 

The Ka-52 “Alligator” is a combat helicopter with a two-person crew. It can reach speeds of up to 310 km/h, has a range of up to 550 km, and operates at altitudes of up to 5.5 km.

Its armament includes a 30 mm cannon, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), unguided rockets, Igla-V missiles, and small arms.

According to open sources, the estimated cost of a Ka-52 ranges from approximately $16 million to $25 million. Russian forces have lost a second Ka-52 attack helicopter in the past 24 hours.

Russian forces have lost a second Ka-52 attack helicopter in the past 24 hours.

Russian propagandist Ilya Tumanov, who runs the aviation channel Fighterbomber, reported on this.

According to him, the crew attempted to eject, but one of the pilots was killed immediately upon the helicopter being hit. 

Despite the loss of the aircraft and the death of a crew member, the propagandist did not specify the exact causes of the incident, calling them “unclear.”

This is already the second loss of a helicopter of this type in a day. On March 20, 2026, in the Pokrovsk direction, a Ukrainian FPV drone shot down a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter.Russian propagandist Ilya Tumanov, who runs the aviation channel Fighterbomber, reported on this.

It is worth noting that Russian forces actively use this type of equipment, which is why the Ka-52 suffers the highest losses among the Russian Armed Forces’ aviation. According to data from the Oryx resource, the Russians have already lost more than 66 such aircraft. For comparison, losses of Mi-28 helicopters amount to only 19 units.