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2 Russian helicopters struck in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, Ukraine's elite drone unit says

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2 Russian helicopters struck in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, Ukraine's elite drone unit says
A screenshot from a video posted by Ukraine's 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Brigade, which appears to show a Russian helicopter being hit by a Ukrainian drone on April 29, 2026. (Ukraine's 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Brigade/X)

Ukrainian drones struck two Russian helicopters in Russia's Voronezh Oblast, more than 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the front line, Ukraine's 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Brigade reported on April 29.

Four Russian helicopters were conducting rapid refueling and technical checks when the long-range Ukrainian drone attack hit two of them: a Soviet-designed Mi-28 and a Mi-17, according to the 414th Brigade, better known as Magyar's Birds.

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A video posted by Ukraine's 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Brigade appears to show a Ukrainian drone strike on Russian helicopters in Russia's Voronezh Oblast. (Ukraine's 414th Separate Unmanned Strike Aviation Systems Brigade/X)

The unit said the strikes, carried out by drone pilots from several units, including the 429th Achilles Brigade, hit the rear central part of the engine compartment, killing at least one helicopter maintenance specialist.

"To be continued…" Magyar's Birds wrote in its X post.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on Magyar's Birds' statement by the publication time.

The unit's statement comes as Ukraine has ramped up its long-range strikes on Russian military facilities and infrastructure supporting the Russian army in recent weeks, both in occupied territories and inside Russia.

Previously, Ukrainian drone operators destroyed a Russian Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopter using an FPV (first-person view) drone in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces said on March 20.

The General Staff reported that as of April 29, Russia has lost 350 helicopters since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.

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Asami Terajima

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Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.

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