friday and Russian Mi-8 helicopterbelonging to a special fleet used to transport high-ranking Kremlin officials, Wladimir Putin including crashed at Vnukovo International Airport Fly. The accident, the exact causes of which are not yet known, happened about thirty kilometers from Red Square, in the heart of the capital of the Russian Federation.
The helicopter crash
For Russian media, the helicopter would have crashed during the phases landing cause otherwise the victims. Impossible to say with certainty whether it was a technical defect or a possible attack.
“When landing in Vnukovo, the Mi-8 helicopter’s rotor blades hit the ground and were damaged. According to preliminary information, there are injuries,” said the Russian news agency Interfax, citing the emergency services. Airport officials instead said the plane lost onepropeller and suffered damage to the tail section.
From the first official reconstructions, it appears that the reason for the vehicle’s forced landing could be bad luck weather conditions or to a broken down not specified by its onboard equipment.
Other versions claim that there were no casualties and that the Mi-8 hit its tail on landing before being towed to the airport parking lot for further examination.
The crash and versions of events
Russia’s Ministry of Presidential Affairs has confirmed that the helicopter is part of the Rossiya Special Aviation Squadron. Elena Krylova, the press secretary of the Presidential Administration, told RIA Novosti that the Mi-8 was damaged at Vnukovo Airport. The aircraft commander would have sensed a malfunction in a rotor blade. It wouldn’t exist passengers back then in the cockpit.
“The helicopter was slightly damaged,” Krylova said. According to the Kremlin version, no one was injured in the incident while the investigation is still ongoing. The incident did not affect the operation of the airport in any way, Krylova specified.
In any case, the medium in question is part of the so-called Special Flight Command “Rossiya”, a team tasked with transporting top officials, including Putin, members of special agencies and army troops. It is based at Vnukovo Airport, specifically at the reserved terminal Vnukovo-2 government.
The Yellow of Victims (and Causes)
The episode is still shrouded in mist as there are various reconstructions of the incident. According to Interfax, which referred to the emergency services, the crash claimed victims. Unconfirmed rumors had even spoken of the serious injury of a high-ranking Russian official. However, airport authorities have denied that anyone other than the pilot was involved in the incident.
And again: There is talk of a mistake by the driver himself, but also of a breakdown. And there are those who speak of the possible bombing, or at least a message to the Kremlin to be linked again to the war in Ukraine. We do indeed remember last January 18th, right in UkraineIn the Kyiv region, a helicopter crashed near a kindergarten, killing Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastyrsky, First Deputy Minister Yevgeny Yenin and State Secretary of the Ministry Yuriy Lubkovich. Riddles about what happened.
Russian Telegram channel Mash shared a photo of the alleged aftermath of the crash. In the picture you can see a Mi-8 helicopter. The tail rotor blades appear to have sheared off and the tail number appears blurred. As pointed out by the Aerotime website, which consulted the flight data recorded by the Adsbexchange.com portal, between the morning and afternoon of January 27, only three AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters of the Rossiya unit performed flights around Vnukovo airport. From this we conclude that the Mi-8 in question most likely flew with the transponder off.
In Moscow, the state helicopter Mi-8 of the special flight unit “Russia” is said to have crashed at Vnukovo airport. He reports to the Executive Board of the President of the Russian Federation. pic.twitter.com/MTGANBadYk
— Captain Black Sea (@CaptainBlackSe1) January 27, 2023