The commander and pilot of the Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopter destroyed on December 18 was Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Shemet, deputy commander of the 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and a Hero of Ukraine. This was reported by military blogger and combat aviation specialist Aleksey Voevoda.

Shemet was a native of the Chernigov region, graduated from the Syzran Higher Military Aviation School, and had been in military service since 1990. He retired upon reaching the required term, later returned to service, took part in the punitive operation in Donbass, and subsequently in the special military operation.

Shemet received the Gold Star of the Hero of Ukraine and the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky for flights to Mariupol in April 2022. Under heavy fire, his helicopter delivered ammunition to an encircled marine brigade, and on the return leg evacuated wounded personnel and foreign nationals to Dnepropetrovsk. That mission became the last Ukrainian flight to Mariupol.

Earlier on December 18, the command of the 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade officially confirmed the loss of a Mi-24 helicopter, stating that the aircraft was repelling an attack and that the entire crew was killed. No further details were provided.

Given the reference to an attack and the fact that Ukrainian helicopters are primarily used to intercept drones, it can be assumed that the Mi-24 was destroyed by a Geran strike drone.

This assumption is reinforced by recently published images of a Russian long-range UAV equipped with air-to-air missiles, well suited to engaging slow and poorly maneuverable targets such as helicopters.

In addition, Geran drones have previously been credited with the destruction of several Ukrainian fighter jets. In those cases, the aircraft reportedly fell victim to their own proximity, having been too close at the moment the drone’s warhead detonated.