The military department continues to deny reports of the incident, but these statements sound unconvincing
Russian media continue to discuss the Alligator during the Zapad-2017 exercises at the Luga training ground in the Leningrad region. If you believe the videos that appeared on the Internet, on September 16, a helicopter accidentally fired a missile salvo at the spectators.
According to unofficial data, the cause of the emergency was a technical failure. To investigate the situation, a commission was created, which included representatives of the Russian Aerospace Forces and specialists from the Russian Helicopters holding company.
What was that?
On Tuesday, September 19, a message appeared on the Yekaterinburg city news portal that an “Alligator” accidentally fired at a group of spectators at the Luga training ground. It was reported that the K-52 fired two unguided missiles. As a result of the shelling, several cars were burned and two people were seriously injured.
Informed sources reported that the missiles were launched spontaneously after the pilot turned on the on-board weapons control circuit.
A little later, another video made by the helicopter’s on-board camera from the Alligator’s cockpit went online.
A photograph of the pilots' explanatory note was also published. “On September 16, 2017, the pair of Lieutenant Colonel A.V. Smakhtin (led senior lieutenant A.S. Volchkov) took off from the air. Pushkin at 14:00, flight to the Luzhsky training ground according to Ex. 456 KBP AA-2012 “test flight of a pair to perform fire missions.” At 14:47 Moscow time, after receiving permission from the test site, during the third approach on the combat course H=50 V=200 km/h, when the main switch was turned on, a spontaneous descent of the S-8 com. slave couple. The crew commander, senior lieutenant A. S. Volchkov, reported to the test site, stopped the task, and completed it at the airfield. Pushkin landing without consequences. On the ground, 3 people were slightly injured and 2 cars were damaged,” the text of the document says.
"Provocation and stupidity"
The Ministry of Defense categorically refused to acknowledge the incident. The press service of the Western Military District stated that there were no accidents during the exercise on September 18. “All messages on social networks about ‘volleys fired at a crowd of journalists’, ‘a large number of seriously wounded’ are a deliberate provocation or someone’s personal stupidity,” the department said.
Commenting on the publication of the video recordings, the military said that they were made in a different period. “The guidance system of one of the helicopters erroneously captured the target. As a result of being hit by an unguided missile, one of the trucks without people was damaged,” explained representatives of the Ministry of Defense.
Meanwhile, observers noted, from the pilots’ published explanatory note it follows that the “other period” is September 16. The same information was confirmed to Kommersant by an informed source in the military department.
According to an informant close to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the emergency did not in any way affect the course of the exercises. The day after the incident, Mi-28N and Ka-52 attack helicopters practiced reconnaissance and missile strikes against ground targets and air cover for ground troops, and two days after the shelling, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Zapad-2017 exercise.
RBC sources reported that three people were injured as a result of the shelling; Moreover, they are all military personnel, not journalists. According to them, an army van and an armored car were hit by unguided missiles.
At the same time, commentators noted that the video footage shows the legs of a man dressed in jeans, which are not part of the uniform of Russian military personnel. Civilian vehicles are also visible. The person who was closest to the place where the ammunition exploded also does not look like a serviceman.
The digital codes on the license plates of the cars caught in the video of the incident with helicopter shelling of people and cars indicate that during the Zapad-2017 exercises, it was not journalists who came under fire, but military and security officials.
The number 16 is visible on the license plate of the Niva, a car parked a few meters from the epicenter of the explosion. This is a digital code that originally designated the Federal Agency for Government Communications and Information (FAPSI). Now the functions of this agency are performed by the Special Communications and Information Service.
On other vehicles, the code is 43, indicating the Leningrad Military District. That is, most likely, both the cars and the people present in the frame are not civilians or media workers, but military personnel.
Videos of a Ka-52 combat helicopter carrying out a missile strike raised a number of questions on the penultimate day of Russian-Belarusian military exercises.
The first video appeared on the morning of September 19 on He reported that the incident at Zapad-2017 occurred the day before at the Luzhsky training ground in the Leningrad region. Due to a technical failure, the Ka-52 helicopter hit the spectators with an unguided missile.
In the video you can see several cars, civilian and military, next to which people were walking, watching the progress of the exercises. A few seconds later, two helicopters appear in the frame, one of them is approaching and launches a missile strike. Judging by the video, one of the military vehicles received the main damage. A version appeared on social networks that the people who were hit were journalists. From one to three people were reported injured.
A source from Gazeta.Ru, familiar with the details of the investigation of the military incident, emphasized one detail: there are more than 200 journalists at Zapad-2017, both domestic and foreign. And not one of them witnessed the incident.
A few hours later, the press service of the Western Military District issued an official statement. According to these data, on September 18, as part of the practical action episode at Zapad-2017, there were no incidents related to the work of army aviation.
On this day, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation visited the exercises. The information that people were injured during the incident and about “a large number of seriously wounded” was called “a deliberate provocation or someone’s personal stupidity.”
In the afternoon, after the press release from the Ministry of Defense, an informed source of Gazeta.Ru said that the military was checking another version. It was that the Ka-52 attack was planned, and the problem was precisely that for some reason there were people in the place where the missile was supposed to land.
Subsequently, this version was not confirmed.
On what exact day the incident occurred has not yet been officially reported. Subsequently, a number of videos of the same incident from other angles appeared on social networks. Several Russian media, citing sources, reported that this happened on September 16 at around 14:30.
Foreign media also reported on the incident. However, despite the critical statements of many Western leaders about the potential threat from Zapad 2017, coverage of the Ka-52 incident was rather dry. Most Western media published small news reports.
The British tabloid, in turn, emotionally described the video footage of the incident. “The person who took the video seemed to want to capture the helicopters flying over, but when the dirt and smoke from the explosions flew into the air, the person was forced to flee, succumbing to general panic,” the text read.
American, however, recalled that the incident does not correlate with the main goal of Zapad-2017. “The exercise, designed to flex its muscles along the border with member states to the west of Russia, demonstrated some weakness in security measures,” the publication reads. “One Russian serviceman has already died from the ricochet of a tank shell.”
The New York Times recalled one of the recent tragic episodes, which, however, did not occur within the framework of “Zapad-2017” - on September 7, at the training ground of the same Western Military District in the Leningrad Region. During scheduled firing from a tank, one of the shells, as a result of a ricochet, exploded next to a shelter in which six servicemen of the engineering support group were located. One of them died and five were injured.
In the Russian army, about 500 people die every year for non-combat reasons. For comparison, in the United States more than 1 thousand military personnel per year become victims of accidents.
The Ministry of Defense has denied the veracity of reports that several people were injured as a result of an accidental missile fired from a Russian Ka-52 reconnaissance and attack helicopter during the phase of the Zapad 2017 military exercises at the Luzhsky training ground near St. Petersburg.
“The guidance system of one of the helicopters erroneously captured the target. As a result of being hit by an unguided missile, one of the trucks without people was damaged,” the press service of the Western Military District reported.
At the same time, the representative of the Western Military District emphasized that the video recording previously published on the Internet, in which the shot was recorded, was made “in a different period of time, when the crews of army aviation helicopters were practicing an exercise to hit ground targets as part of a tactical flight exercise.” According to him, on September 18, “there were no incidents related to the work of army aviation.”
According to Fontanka.Ru, on the morning of September 19, several videos from the exercises, which have been conducted at the training ground near Luga since yesterday, were posted on the Internet. The footage shows how a military helicopter had an unauthorized closing of the firing circuit, that is, it fired at the wrong target.
Three shells hit the area where military equipment was located and a spontaneous parking of both military and civilian vehicles was formed. Two military vehicles, a truck and a passenger car, were definitely damaged by the blast wave. They also say that a person was concussed by the blast wave.
Military investigators are now looking into the incident. It is possible that a case will be initiated under an article on violation of safety rules for the use of military-technical equipment. At the same time, the resource 66.Ru reported that during the emergency, two people received shell shock.
“They were flying towards the target, there were 500 meters left, according to instructions on the combat path, the weapons circuits were turned on, they turned them on, but something shorted there, and the missiles went off on their own. The fragments spread widely, at least two cars were burned, two people were seriously injured, they are now in the hospital. It was training before some kind of show. Most likely, journalists were injured,” said an informed source.
After the news spread across the Internet, journalists asked the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov about what happened. The question was also asked because Russian leader Vladimir Putin arrived at the training ground around this time. The head of state's representative declined to comment on the incident.
“This question should be asked to the Ministry of Defense, and not to the presidential administration,” he said.
Professional pilot Vitaly Sokolovsky explained that such unintentional shots at third-party targets happen with military equipment in all countries of the world, including during exercises, NSN reports.
“This is a technique, and the technique is complex. Naturally, she may have refusals. There have been unauthorized shots fired on military aircraft in history. Both here, in Russia, and abroad.
It's probably either a short circuit or something wrong with the weapon. It is also possible that there is a human factor that the pilot unintentionally pressed the PTT button or gave the launch command. This should be sorted out by a competent commission, which, naturally, will be assembled,” he emphasized.
Last week, a US soldier died in an incident at the Fort Bragg military base, which is located in North Carolina. Alexander Dalida, a 32-year-old native of Massachusetts, died. In addition, seven more servicemen received various injuries.
On September 7, during a training exercise at a military training ground in the Leningrad region, an explosion occurred during scheduled firing from a tank.
“One of the shells deviated from the trajectory when touching the ground (ricochet) and exploded in the immediate vicinity of the shelter in which there were six servicemen of the engineering support group,” the press service of the Western Military District reported.
As a result of the incident, one soldier was killed and five more were injured. All victims were taken to medical facilities and are receiving assistance. The Western Military District commission is working at the scene of the explosion.
The emergency occurred at the Russian Luzhsky training ground - this is in the Leningrad region. Yesterday, September 18, Vladimir Putin came there to observe the exercises. Two helicopters accidentally fired rockets at spectators!
It is unknown exactly when the incident occurred. However, from the press service of the Western Military District it follows that on September 17, the crews of the Mi-28N and Ka-52 attack helicopters of the army aviation “worked out the tasks of aerial reconnaissance, launching a missile strike on ground targets and covering a ground group of troops from the air.”
According to the portal, the incident occurred in the morning on the very day that Putin arrived at the training ground. Two cars were also burned as a result of the airstrike. And the victims are most likely journalists. According to the publication's source, the helicopters were flying to targets when the incident occurred:
There were 500 meters left, according to instructions, the weapons circuits were turned on along the combat path, they turned them on, but something shorted there, and the missiles went off on their own. Due to the large scatter of fragments, at least two cars burned down, two people were seriously injured. Most likely, journalists were injured, an informed source told 66.ru.
During the West 2017 exercise, a helicopter hit spectators with missiles. Frame youtube.com. Photo: frame from the Fontanka video.
At the Zapad 2017 exercise, a combat helicopter fired at a crowd of spectators. At the next stage of the Russian-Belarusian military exercises West 2017, an emergency occurred: an involuntary launch occurred at the Luzhsky training ground near St. Petersburg...
The pair of Lieutenant Colonel Smakhtin and Senior Lieutenant Volchkov took off from the Pushkinsky airfield at 14.00, the report says. They flew to the Luzhsky training ground “to carry out a test flight for the pair to perform fire missions.” - When performing the third approach on a combat course, at an altitude of 50 meters and a speed of 200 km/h, when the main switch was turned on, unguided aircraft missiles spontaneously descended. Three people were injured on the ground and two cars were damaged.
Several videos taken by various eyewitnesses from the scene show that there were many people in camouflage and several people in civilian clothes around the epicenter of the strike. Military equipment is visible, as well as passenger cars with ordinary civilian license plates. Judging by the video, the Kamaz of the signalmen suffered the most - one of the missiles actually hit it directly. A Niva with military license plates was also damaged - its windows were broken.
The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that during the Zapad-2017 exercise, one of the helicopters accidentally fired an unguided missile. However, the department denies that anyone was injured as a result. The Ministry of Defense is not informed about when exactly this incident happened.
The guidance system of one of the helicopters made an erroneous target acquisition. As a result of being hit by an unguided missile, one of the unmanned trucks was damaged, the press service of the Western Military District said. At the same time, the Ministry of Defense called the statements that the helicopter fired a salvo “at a crowd of journalists” “a deliberate provocation or someone’s personal stupidity.”
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense reported that Belarusian military personnel do not take part in exercises on Russian territory.
HELP "KP"
The Ka-52 Alligator is a new generation Russian reconnaissance and attack helicopter. The rotorcraft is capable of hitting armored and unarmored vehicles, manpower and air targets on the battlefield.
The Ministry of Defense confirmed the erroneous launch of missiles from a combat helicopter, but denied the presence of casualties.
During the Russian-Belarusian military exercises “Zapad-2017” near St. Petersburg, a helicopter accidentally fired missiles at spectators located near the Luzhsky training ground, reports the portal 66.ru.
According to the publication's interlocutor, the incident occurred the day before, but the exact date when the emergency occurred is unknown. The portal's source suggested that the launch of an air-to-ground missile from a Ka-52 helicopter occurred accidentally.
“They were flying towards the target, there were 500 meters left, according to instructions on the combat path, the weapons circuits were turned on, they turned them on, but something shorted there, and the missiles went off on their own. The fragments spread widely, at least two cars were burned, two people were seriously injured, they are now in the hospital. It was training before some kind of show. Most likely, journalists were injured,” the source told 66.ru.
The day before, on September 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Luzhsky training ground in the Leningrad region.
The Zapad-2017 exercises take place on September 14 and take place at training grounds in Belarus, as well as in the Leningrad, Pskov and Kaliningrad regions of Russia. More than 12 thousand military personnel take part in them. During the exercises, the troops will have to practice tactical episodes with live firing, extensive use of forces and means of aviation and air defense troops.
According to the scenario of the exercises, the troops of Russia and Belarus are opposed to a coalition of fictional Western countries of Veishnoria, Vesbaria and Lubenia, which plan to destabilize the situation on the territory of Belarus.
