Wed Jan 01 02:37:00 UTC 2025: ## Ukrainian Naval Drone Makes History, Downing Russian Helicopter in Black Sea
**KYIV, UKRAINE – January 1, 2025** – Ukraine’s military intelligence service (GUR) announced a historic first: the successful downing of a Russian military helicopter using a domestically produced naval drone. The attack, which took place near Cape Tarkhankut on the Crimean peninsula’s west coast on December 31st, 2024, involved a Magura V5 drone equipped with missiles.
The GUR released video footage of the engagement, showing the drone launching a missile which struck a Russian Mi-8 helicopter. Thermal imagery captures the helicopter’s descent into the Black Sea after being hit. The video also shows the drone itself apparently under fire, with splashes visible in the water around it.
Further evidence of the strike comes from intercepted radio communications between the stricken helicopter and its base. The pilot’s panicked voice can be heard reporting being hit by a missile launched from the water, describing the explosion and subsequent systems failure before stating, “I’m hit, I’m going down!”
The GUR emphasized that this marks the first time a Ukrainian naval drone has successfully taken down an airborne target. This successful attack follows a series of drone operations targeting Russian warships and infrastructure in the Black Sea and Crimea, significantly impacting the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s capabilities. Ukraine claims these operations have forced Russia to relocate most of its warships from its main base in Sevastopol.
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