(YUZHNO SAKHALINSK, SAKHALIN OBLAST) – A Russian Mi-8 military transport helicopter crashed on Sakhalin Island on Tuesday, striking trees with its rotors before coming to rest in a roadside ditch.
Footage of the incident shows the helicopter descending onto a roadway while its spinning rotors cut through several trees. The aircraft then slid along the road surface and tipped into a ditch, where it remained on its side. A lorry narrowly avoided being struck during the landing.
According to preliminary reports, the crew survived the crash. The trees did not.
The helicopter created a traffic jam on the road, though local motorists are reportedly accustomed to such delays.
The Russian Defence Ministry has not disclosed what caused the emergency landing. No visible damage to the aircraft was apparent before it began its descent.
Sakhalin Island is situated in the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East. The region is far removed from combat operations in Ukraine, and helicopters stationed there would not typically be deployed to the war.
The Mi-8 is one of Russia’s primary utility helicopters. United24 estimated in December that Russia had approximately 300 Mi-8s in service, with 52 destroyed in combat according to Oryx, alongside seven electronic warfare variants.
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