- Ukraine was reported this week by Russian sources to have destroyed an MI-8 helicopter with a drone.
- It would be the first known successful attempt by Kyiv's forces to attack Russian helicopters with drones.
- If true, it marks a tentative expansion to the growing list of combat functions that low-cost drones can bring.
Ukraine used one or several lightweight exploding drones to fell a Russian MI-8 helicopter in Donetsk this week, according to Russian military bloggers.
If confirmed, the hit would mark the first time a helicopter was revealed to be destroyed by a drone during the war, further highlighting a growing variety of uses for such low-cost munitions.
A picture of a burning wreck in a field was shared on Wednesday by Russian military bloggers, who said the photo showed the remains of the MI-8 helicopter.
"They are dead and wounded," the Russian military blogger ColonelCassad wrote of the helicopter crew.
Others posted tributes to those wounded or killed in the attack, with the popular military blogger FighterBomber — known for having ties with the Russian air force — confirming that "everything" reported about the MI-8 hit was accurate.
Ukrainian forces have been trying for months to hit Russian helicopters with drones, as documented by footage posted online as early as September by Ukrainian journalists and Russian military bloggers.
One pro-Moscow military blogger, Voivode Broadcasts, posted a video on July 19 showing a first-person drone attempting to run into an MI-8 helicopter. The clip showed the drone missing its target.
The Ukrainian drones were "scary for armored vehicles, infantry, and helicopters," Voivode Broadcasts wrote on Tuesday.
The next day, they wrote in an update that Ukraine had finally succeeded in taking down an MI-8. The military blogger said the helicopter was taking off when it was hit, meaning its lower speed could have been the difference-maker.
The MI-8, a commonly produced Soviet-era helicopter, is typically used for transport.
The war has seen both Moscow and Kyiv's troops pushing new limits with drone warfare, while either side scrambles for ways to safeguard against the new threat. Ukraine has notably been using drones to attack all manner of targets, including armored vehicles, infantry, infrastructure, and even naval vessels.
It's even claimed successful hits up to 1,100 miles away, implying a growing capability for long-range strikes. The cost of firing Western-made munitions like the Storm Shadow missile, on the other hand, can easily reach $1 million per strike.
The Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries did not immediately respond to requests sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.