Russian Telegram channels covering military aviation reported that pilots were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Leningrad region. The claim has not been confirmed.

The report came from the Telegram channel Fighterbomber, run by Z-blogger Ilya Tumanov. “Today’s defense of the skies over St. Petersburg from the drone attack cost us very dearly. Very, very dearly,” he wrote, without disclosing any details.

The Telegram channel Na Predele (“On the Edge”) also reported the pilots’ deaths without specifying the circumstances, posting a photo of a Ka-52 “Alligator” helicopter.

The Telegram channel Voevoda Veshchaet (“The Warlord Speaks”) reported around the same time that “three experienced crews” — seven people in all — had been killed. Another channel, Voennyi Osvedomitel (“Military Informer”), said a Ka-52 helicopter was lost, along with what it said was probably a Mi-8. A third channel, Osvedomitel (“Informer”), reported that three helicopters were lost: probably two Ka-52s and one Mi-8.

Russian authorities have officially said only that three port workers were injured in the Ukrainian drone attack on Ust-Luga, in the Kingisepp District.

Commentary from Meduza’s Explainers desk:

The exact losses suffered by the Russian Aerospace Forces, and their causes, remain unknown. Some Z-bloggers suggest Russian air defenses shot down the helicopters themselves while repelling the Ukrainian drone attack on the St. Petersburg suburbs. “Friendly fire” is one of the most common causes of manned aircraft losses in this war.

Attack helicopters are among the most effective and widely used tools against long-range drones. Their mobility lets them cover drone approach routes that ground-based air defenses cannot reach. To destroy drones, they use standard aircraft cannons and machine guns, portable surface-to-air missile systems, and, in the case of Ukrainian helicopters, interceptor drones.

U.S. Army helicopters, meanwhile, have used specially designed, inexpensive laser-guided APKWS II rockets against drones that Yemen’s Houthis have launched. The Ukrainian military has the same rockets.

The Russian state news agency TASS reported that the November 11 attack on the Leningrad region was the largest since the start of the year. Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 150 drones were destroyed over the region overnight.

The independent Russian investigative outlet The Insider reported that Russia has lost at least six Ka-52 helicopters to “friendly fire” since the start of the full-scale war. In October 2025, Russian military personnel reportedly shot down one of their own Ka-52 helicopters, mistaking it for a drone. In July 2026, according to “military correspondents,” a Ka-52 was mistakenly shot down in the Voronezh region.

At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.

If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].

To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.