$700 drone takes down $6M Russian helicopter: Ukrainian fighters explain how they did it

The commander of Ukraine’s 1st Battalion of Unmanned Systems, Maksym Bohachuk, said on Espreso TV that the destruction of a Russian helicopter was the result of methodical work and an element of luck.

“In general, destroying such a target is quite difficult, because we don’t know when and where the occupiers will operate. And the drones we use simply can’t match helicopters in speed,” Bohachuk noted.

He stressed that the operation required long-term monitoring and analysis. “We monitored Russian activity, analyzed where, when and how they operate. In fact, it’s a long and complex process — and in this case there was also an element of luck. Hitting such a target is quite difficult, but as we showed, it’s possible,” Bohachuk said.

According to him, the cost of the downed Russian helicopter was about USD 6 million, while the modified FPV drone used in the strike cost roughly UAH 30,000 (around USD 700).

• On Monday, September 29, Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian helicopter using an FPV drone.