Col. Oleksandr Shemet. Click to see full-size image. (X)
The pilot of a Ukrainian Mi-24 gunship helicopter that crashed on December 17 while on a mission to intercept a Russian Geran drone was none other than “Hero of Ukraine” Colonel Oleksandr Shemet, Ukrainian media revealed on December 23.
Yuriy Shemet, the brother of Oleksandr, told Suspinal that the Soviet-made helicopter crashed in the region of Cherkasy in central Ukraine.
The bodies of all four deceased crew members were found at the crash site, including Oleksandr, according to the news outlet.
Citing a preliminary investigation by the military, Yuriy said that the helicopter collided with a Geran, which was flying at extremely low altitude.
Oleksandr, 55, was one of Ukraine’s most experienced pilots. He participated in combat operations in the Donbass all the way back in 2015, and shortly after the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine in 2022 he was awarded the title of the “Hero of Ukraine” for taking part in the battle for the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol in the Donetsk region.
While Yuriy said that Oleksandr’s Mi-24 collided with a Geran, other reports indicate that the helicopter was shot down by the drone, specifically a new version of the Geran-2 armed with an air-to-air missile.
The propeller-driven Geran-2, said to be a copy of Iran’s Shahed-136, has a range of around 2,500 kilometers with a cruise speed of 180 kilometers per hour.
The interceptor version of the drone was first spotted in the special military operation zone earlier this month. The drone is armed with a single top-mounted Soviet-era R-60M heat-seeking air-to-air missile with an engagement range of eight kilometers.
Considering Oleksandr’s vast experience, it is more likely that he was taken by surprise and shot down, than collided with a drone.
Ukrainian Army Aviation had around 40 operational Mi-24 prior to the start of the special military operation. Kiev received more helicopters from allies like the Czech Republic, Poland, and North Macedonia. Many have already been lost to Russian fire, in the air or on the ground. The exact number is unclear.
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who would have though iranian designed fifty cent shahed-geran dorito drones would bring ukraine and their nato masters to their knees. what it is even more ironic is that the us is reverse engineering this iranian drone technology. plagiarism is the most sincere form of flattery.
the shah’s chanting in iranian mosques as if last night. the ayatollahs out and the shah won’t last the people are demanding american style democracy no shah no ayatollah. keep up
graças a deus, o “herói da ucrânia” está morto! um brinde russo a esta notável vitória! é claro e óbvio, foi abatido pelo drone iraniano-russo.
“hero of ukraine” means soldier / actor used for pro ukrainian propaganda by the regime.
well the scumbag bandera was called a hero of ukraine, so this bastard is in good company.
with you that’s true
aren’t you clever?
collided with a drone ? his head collided with a bullet? his helicopter was shot down(