Russian court reveals shocking price of downed Mi‑8 helicopter
During the war in Ukraine, some Russian aircraft and helicopters were lost to friendly fire. One such incident involved a Mi-8 helicopter, shot down over Crimea. The Russian soldier responsible was tried, and the court, in publishing the verdict, disclosed a secret—the official cost of the destroyed helicopter.
How did the mistaken shooting down of the Mi-8 helicopter happen? Details revealed during the trial were presented by the Ukrainian service Defence Express. According to their report, a Russian officer from the anti-aircraft defense unit confused the call sign of the detected target and incorrectly reported its location to his superiors.
As a result, the Mi-8MT helicopter was targeted by the Tor-M2DT anti-aircraft system stationed in Crimea—an Arctic variant mounted on the all-terrain vehicle DT-30PM-T, brought into the occupied territories. The helicopter was hit, leading to the death of its three-person crew.
How much does a Mi-8 helicopter cost?
The verdict published after the trial sentenced the officer to prison. It detailed the case and disclosed the official price of the downed helicopter. According to the Russian court, the Mi-8MT (Mi-17M) costs 200 million rubles. For comparison, a Ka-52 costs 1.1 billion rubles, and Russia values the older Tu-22 at 97 million rubles.
Commenting on the information in the verdict, the Ukrainian service noted that the stated prices are conventional. Converting them using the current ruble exchange rate—or, as suggested, using the value of Moscow real estate due to exchange rate fluctuations—leads to incorrect conclusions.
For instance, such a valuation implies that a Su-34 would cost over 100 million dollars—more than an F-35—which does not reflect its actual market value. This value cannot be reliably assessed due to small-scale production, where each aircraft is extremely valuable, and Russian production does not compensate for the losses from military operations and wear and tear of used machines.
