RuAviation

The Russian Air and Space Forces lost six helicopters and one aircraft during the Wagner group’s mutiny. At least 25 pilots and crewmen were killed and the country’s defence capability was severely damaged.

The Defence Ministry has not reported any losses of aircraft as a result of the actions of the PMCs.

According to various estimates (by Russkaya Vesna war correspondents, Rybar, Fighterbomber), the rebels shot down three Mi-8MTPR helicopters (crew of 3), a transport Mi-8 (3), a Ka-52 attack helicopter (2), a transport and combat Mi-35M (2) and an Il-22 air control station (10) with air defence fire. Russian President Vladimir Putin, during his speech on 27 June on the porch of the Faceted Chamber in the Kremlin, declared a minute’s silence in memory of the fallen pilots.

Pskov Region Governor Mikhail Vedernikov, in a video he posted on his Tg-channel, announced the names of two military pilots from the Pskov territorial garrison. According to him, they were part of the crew of the downed Ka-52 helicopter.

“But there were victims nevertheless – the very heroic pilots of whom … the president spoke of in his address. Among them were servicemen of the Pskov territorial garrison: the crew of the Ka-52 – Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Vorozhtsov and Lieutenant Denis Oleynikov,” said Mikhail Vedernikov.

It is noteworthy that of the seven lost helicopters, only two were combat helicopters: the Mi-35M and the Ka-52. The rest had no attack functions and were intended for other tasks. In particular, the IL-22 is an air control and jamming equipment, and it posed no threat to the Wagner’s soldiers.

When Yevgeny Prigozhin, the organizer of the military insurgency, was asked at the headquarters of the Southern Military District, why the plane was shot down, as it was not striking but performing other functions, he shifted the blame onto one of the Wagner fighters, saying that “the foolish plowman in the column was shooting down everything taking off…”, told Channel One correspondent Irina Kuksenkova.

The crew of the IL-22 can make up to 9 people depending on the flight task: five pilots and 2-4 operators of the closed-code communication equipment and combat control officers. According to Irina Kuksenkova, there were 10 people on board the downed plane. Fighterbomber reports that it was flight RA-75917.