Videos that surfaced on social media show an explosion in a helicopter. The reasons for the accidents are unclear. The question arises: What happened?
A fighter jet and two helicopters crashed in Russia’s Bryansk region on Saturday, according to Russian media reports. First, the Russian state news agency TASS reported a helicopter crash in the town of Klintsy. An explosion in the helicopter could be seen in videos on social media before it crashed to the ground in flames. Later, TASS also reported the crash of a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter.
In the afternoon, various media reported about a second helicopter crash. The background was initially unclear.
Bryansk Governor Alexander Bogomas initially confirmed only that the helicopter crashed near Klintsy. Five properties were damaged. A woman was injured and taken to hospital, he said. A task force was formed. Initially, he did not give details.
Ukraine insists not to attack Russian territory
Russia has repeatedly complained about the bombing of its border regions with Ukraine. There was already massive damage, dead and wounded. The leadership in Kiev has repeatedly emphasized that it will not attack Russian territory in the conflict.
According to the media, two people died on board the Mi-8 helicopter that crashed in Klinzy. Videos of the burning wreckage were shared on social media.
The fighter jet’s two occupants could not have catapulted themselves out of the plane, he said. They died too. It was not clear if there was damage to the ground. The Su-34 fighter jet crash site is said to be in a village about ten kilometers from the Mi-8 crash site. Russia’s Defense Ministry, which also launches its attacks against Ukraine from the area, initially made no statement.
Ukraine reports Russian drone attacks
Ukraine, for its part, has reported numerous new Russian drone strikes and several explosions in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine. Critical infrastructure was hit and people were injured, the mayor of the eponymous regional capital, Olexandr Symchyschyn, said on Saturday. Authorities spoke of 21 wounded, of which 11 were named.
According to reports, rail systems were also affected. After the bombing, Ukrainian railways reported delays in train travel of up to twelve hours and the use of track replacement services.
Details of the specific damage did not initially exist. A huge ball of fire was seen on social media rising into the sky. According to the Ukrainian military, a total of 17 out of 21 Iranian Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones were shot down during the night attacks. Russia has repeatedly launched massive drone strikes in Ukraine.
Explosions in Luhansk
For the second time since Friday, Russian state media reported explosions in Moscow-occupied Ukrainian regional capital Lugansk. The city, controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, has so far been spared the acts of war. A huge plume of smoke was visible in Russian media on Saturday.
According to the occupation forces in Luhansk and the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the Storm Shadow cruise missiles promised by Britain were used for the first time in the bombing. There were also photos of rocket debris. This information could not be independently verified. Ukraine requested these long-range weapons systems to clear areas further away from the frontline.
The airborne Storm Shadow, jointly developed by Britain and France, has a range of over 250 kilometers, according to manufacturer MBDA. This will allow them to reach destinations on the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine, which has been annexed by Russia. The American-type Himars multiple rocket launchers successfully used by Ukraine can hit targets 80 kilometers away.
(APA/Portal/dpa)