Russia lost 13 pilots in a day of battles against the Wagner PMC

25 June, 2023 The Ka-52 helicopter was destroyed on June 24 in the Voronezh region Over the day of the confrontation with the Wagner PMC mercenaries, the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation lost 13 crew members of helicopters and aircraft. Military retired aviator Ilya Tumanov, author of the propaganda telegram channel Fighterbomber, published such calculations.

Specifically, eight crew members were killed as a result of the destruction of the Il-22?11 airborne command post. According to the active duty military pilot of the Russian Aerospace Forces, editor at the Helicopterpilot Telegram channel, three crew members of the Mi-8MTPR EW helicopter were also killed. It was shot down on the night of June 23 over Luhansk.

The crew of the ??-52 attack helicopter, shot down in the Voronezh region, also died.

This was a helicopter with registration number RF-13418 (72 yellow). In addition to the above-mentioned two helicopters and aircraft, the Russian Air Force suffered the following losses in one day:

• Mi-MTPR damaged, reached the airfield "in holes";
• Mi-MTPR executed an emergency landing;
• Mi-35 destroyed, but the crew survived;
• Mi-28 damaged but reached the airfield.

Generally, according to estimates by Russian military propagandists, 6 helicopters and 1 aircraft were lost. This is one of the largest single-day losses in 16 months of war against Ukraine. It is possible that the Wagnerians will not suffer any punishment for the destroyed equipment and the killed military, as they received security guarantees through the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko.

On May 13, in the Bryansk region, the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation lost at least four aircraft that were ambushed by Ukrainian anti-aircraft gunners.

On that day, the Russians lost two Mi-8 helicopters, a Su-34 bomber, and a Su-35 fighter jet.