Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO), working alongside the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) and Rocket Forces, have successfully targeted and destroyed four Russian helicopters on the ground in Russia’s Belgorod region.
This was reported by the SSO on March 24.
The attack was carried out using a HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system.
It eliminated two Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopters and two Mi-8 transport helicopters, inflicting an estimated $52 million in damage.
According to Ukrainian sources, the helicopters were stationed at a field airstrip undergoing maintenance, refueling, and rearming—a moment of vulnerability that Ukraine’s forces seized on with deadly precision.
The strike was executed using M30A2 guided rockets, designed to maximize destruction against clustered ground targets.
Each rocket contains 180,000 tungsten pellets encasing a 23-kilogram explosive charge. Upon detonation, the blast sends high-density shrapnel across a 70-meter radius, capable of crippling not just the intended targets, but surrounding equipment and personnel as well.
The location of the helicopters was pinpointed by SSO reconnaissance units and the coordinates relayed to the HIMARS operators with HUR’s assistance.
High-Value Targets
The Ka-52 “Alligator”, with a per-unit cost of approximately $16 million, is one of Russia’s most advanced combat helicopters. Armed with LMUR long-range precision missiles, Ka-52s are a constant threat to Ukrainian forces, often launching strikes from distances beyond the reach of Ukrainian air defense systems.
The Mi-8, valued at around $10 million per unit, plays a vital role in transporting troops and equipment across the battlefield and has become a logistical backbone of Russia’s rotary-wing aviation in the war.
Russia’s military helicopter fleet has been steadily eroded throughout the war.
Independent open-source monitoring group Oryx reports that Russia has lost at least 63 Ka-52s and 46 Mi-8s since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Footage and images from the latest strike suggest that the Belgorod airstrip may serve as either a temporary forward base or a routinely used refueling site.
Tire tracks visible in the video indicate regular use, reinforcing suspicions that Russia continues to operate close to the Ukrainian border despite growing vulnerability.
