Russian air defense forces mistakenly opened fire on one of their own helicopters, believing it to be a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle, overnight on April 10 in Moscow Oblast. Videos shared by local residents show a helicopter flying over a populated area at night, while Russian military personnel attempt to shoot it down using anti-aircraft gunfire. The footage was published on several Telegram channels.
Militarnyi says that based on these videos, Russians appear to have mistaken their helicopter for a Ukrainian drone, as Russian regions were under drone attacks at the same time. The incident occurred near Naro-Fominsk in Moscow Oblast. Russian Telegram channel Shot reported an alleged downing of an unknown drone in the area.
At 22:30 local time on 9 April, local residents in Naro-Fominsk reported a powerful explosion. The deafening blast triggered car alarms in parts of the city and rattled windows. According to Militarnyi, it remains unclear whether the explosion was caused by a helicopter or a drone. As of the morning of 10 April, Russian media have not reported any helicopter crashes or accidental shootdowns, suggesting that the aircraft may have safely returned to its base.
Since Moscow Oblast was under a drone attack at the time the video was recorded, the helicopter might have been involved in intercepting them, as the Russians tend to do, Militarnyi speculates, adding that in this case, poor coordination between air defense forces and aviation led to Russians attempting to shoot down their own aircraft.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed on the morning of 10 April that their air defense forces allegedly destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones overnight over Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Belgorod, Oryol, and Moscow oblasts, as well as occupied Crimea.
