Russian Air Force Mi-8/17/171 Shot down

On 31 December 2024 Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (HUR) Magura V5 unmanned surface vessels armed with R-73 missiles engaged Russian helicopters over the Black Sea near Cape Tarkhankut, Crimea. HUR initially said one Mi-8 was shot down and a second damaged; on 2 January it said two had been destroyed, according to The War Zone, which noted that the results had not been independently verified but that Russian military bloggers confirmed the engagement. Russian aviation Telegram channels mourned the loss of two Mi-8 crews, and Oryx lists two helicopters destroyed. This entry records the second helicopter.