Military helicopter crashes in western Russia

A Russian military helicopter has crashed in the western part of the country, killing all of its crew members, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

In a statement early on Thursday, the ministry said the Mi-28 went down in Kaluga Region, about 320km southwest of Moscow, while carrying out a pre-planned flight.

The aircraft crashed in an uninhabited area and caused no further damage on the ground, officials added. Preliminary data indicated that the incident was caused by a technical malfunction. A Russian Aerospace Forces commission has been dispatched to the site to investigate.

Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha confirmed the crash, saying it happened in the Zhizdrinsk district on the border with Bryansk Region, which in turn is on the frontier with Ukraine. Local officials cited by TASS said the helicopter went down in a heavily wooded area not far from the village of Klyonki.

The Mash Telegram channel reported that the aircraft, which is often used on drone-hunting missions, was returning from a combat sortie. A source claimed to the outlet that a crew member had detected a fire on board while returning to base, presumably due to an engine malfunction. As a result, the pilot diverted the helicopter to an uninhabited zone to avoid potential civilian casualties.

The Mi-28, which made its maiden flight in 1982, is a two-seat all-weather attack helicopter that has several modified versions.