Ukrainian drone destroys Russian Ka-27 helicopter in Black Sea

The Ukrainian Navy said its forces destroyed a Russian Kamov Ka-27 helicopter that attempted to land on the “Syvash” drilling platform in the Black Sea during a nighttime strike on March 5.

The operation was conducted by the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with units of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces targeting Russian personnel and equipment stationed on the offshore structure.

The strike targeted a Russian military presence on the Syvash drilling platform located at the Holitsynske gas field in the Black Sea. Ukrainian officials said the offshore installation had been used by Russian forces as a surveillance and communications hub supporting operations against southern Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Ukrainian Navy, Russian forces converted the platform into a forward operational position used to coordinate drone strikes and monitor activity across the northwestern Black Sea.

“By the forces and means of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine together with units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the night of March 5 enemy units located on the ‘Syvash’ drilling platform (Holitsynske gas field, Black Sea waters) were struck,” the Ukrainian Navy said.

The service said the facility had become part of Russia’s operational infrastructure supporting attacks on Ukraine’s southern regions.

“This platform was used by the enemy as an observation post, a communications relay point, and for the deployment of electronic warfare equipment and short-range air defense systems in order to control strike UAVs aimed at attacking infrastructure in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions and creating a threat to civilian shipping,” the statement said.

Ukrainian forces used a combination of maritime unmanned surface drones and aerial unmanned aircraft during the attack on the installation.

“As a result of the combat work of maritime unmanned drones and aerial unmanned aircraft, enemy command and communication equipment was struck and substantial losses in personnel were inflicted,” the Ukrainian Navy said.

During the operation, Ukrainian naval forces also destroyed a Russian Ka-27 helicopter that was attempting to land on the platform.

“Also, the forces and means of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a Ka-27 helicopter that attempted to land on the platform of the drilling installation,” the Navy said.

Russian military aviation units operating in the Black Sea commonly use the Kamov Ka-27 for naval support missions. The helicopter, developed for ship-based operations, features a coaxial rotor system that allows it to operate from confined landing areas such as ship decks or offshore structures.

In Russian service, the Ka-27 performs anti-submarine warfare, search-and-rescue operations, reconnaissance, and logistical transport tasks. In the Black Sea theater, helicopters of this type are also used to move personnel and equipment between naval bases, ships, and remote maritime positions including seized offshore energy infrastructure.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, several offshore drilling platforms in the northwestern Black Sea have been repurposed for military use. Russian forces have installed radar, communications systems, and electronic warfare equipment on some structures to extend surveillance coverage over maritime approaches to the occupied Crimean Peninsula.