(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Ukraine has released new video footage from the 2022 Battle of Hostomel showing a Russian Ka 52 helicopter being shot down by a man portable air defence system.
The footage, shared today, dates from the early days of Russia’s full scale invasion. Although filmed in 2022, it has not previously been made public. The video was recorded by a member of a Russian special forces unit and captures the moment a Ka 52 attack helicopter is struck by a missile launched from the direction of Irpin.
The clip, played with original sound, shows the helicopter being hit in flight. The recording ends before the aircraft crashes, but the helicopter was destroyed.
The impact is followed by a brief delay before the rotor blades separate from the aircraft. According to analysis of the Ka 52 system, the rotors can be discharged by the crew as part of the ejection sequence. When a pilot ejects due to severe damage or imminent loss of the aircraft, the cockpit rotors are jettisoned before the ejection seats fire. The footage appears to show this mechanism activating. The video cuts off before it is clear whether the crew successfully ejected.
While this footage is newly released, the loss of this Ka 52 had already been confirmed. A separate video from 2022, filmed from a second helicopter flying behind the aircraft, showed the same Ka 52 being hit by a MANPAD.
Open source analysts geolocated the incident to an area east of Hostomel airport, also known as Antonov Airport. In the analysis, the cameraman’s position is marked near a red dot, the helicopter’s flight path in yellow and the missile trajectory indicated by a red arrow.
Hostomel was the site of one of Russia’s earliest and most significant setbacks in its attempt to seize Kyiv. Russian forces launched an airborne assault involving multiple waves of helicopters, including Mi 8 transport helicopters carrying troops and Ka 52 attack helicopters providing support. The objective was to capture the airport and secure a foothold north west of Kyiv to enable a rapid advance on the capital.
Although Russian forces initially took control of the airport, Ukrainian resistance and counterattacks in Hostomel and surrounding areas forced them back. By early April 2022, Russian troops had withdrawn from Hostomel and the wider Kyiv region. Moscow described the retreat as a goodwill gesture.
The Battle of Hostomel is widely regarded as pivotal. Had Russian forces consolidated control there, it could have facilitated an attempt to encircle and capture Kyiv. Instead, the fighting around Hostomel prevented Russian troops from securing the city.
Analysts note that confirmed Ka 52 losses have become less frequent in recent phases of the war. The helicopters proved vulnerable to MANPAD systems, small arms fire and surface to air missiles. Russian forces subsequently adapted tactics, operating Ka 52 aircraft at longer ranges using guided missiles in an effort to reduce exposure.
The newly released footage offers a further record of the intense fighting during the opening phase of the invasion and the resistance that blunted Russia’s initial assault on Kyiv. Some observers argue that the losses sustained during the failed Hostomel operation should have prompted Moscow to reconsider its campaign in Ukraine.
