Military expert reveals reasons behind Russia's Mi-28 helicopter recent crash

Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military and political observer with the Information resistance group, shared his insights regarding the crash.

"What’s surprising here? The Mi-28 is known to be a problematic helicopter, with numerous defects and shortcomings. Despite 40 years of operation, none of these issues have been fully addressed. The helicopter's systems are notoriously finicky and unreliable, and they are critically dependent on weather conditions, which can even lead to loss of control and pilot disorientation,” the observer explained.

During overcast conditions in Ukraine in the spring of 2022, the Mi-28s made their pilots effectively “blind and deaf.” This made them easy targets for Ukraine’s mobile groups armed with MANPADS, as they couldn't detect these threats and their weapon systems were ineffective at long ranges.

In September 2023, a Russian video showed a Mi-28N struggling to hit a Ukrainian UJ-22 Airborne UAV, which has a cruising speed of 120 km/h, despite firing with a 30 mm 2A42 cannon.

“Last summer, Russia attempted to sell the Mi-28 to African countries, but there has been no interest in the past year. It seems even in Africa, there’s no demand for such unreliable equipment,” the observer concluded.

• On July 25, the Mi-28 military helicopter crashed in Russia's Kaluga region due to a technical malfunction.