Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) said it has struck Russian Mi-8 helicopters and Nebo-U radar systems in occupied Crimea amid Kyiv’s intensified strikes on the occupied peninsula.
Though the dates of the strikes are unclear, HUR has provided footage of the attacks alongside its Sunday announcement.
HUR claimed to have hit three Mi-8 helicopters and “an expensive Russian 55Zh6U ‘Nebo-U’ radar” in the update, which was substantiated by the drone footage shared alongside the update, captured by the drones’ thermal cameras.
The footage shared by HUR shows a drone hitting the radar’s antenna, while other clips show the drones flying towards the Mi-8s stationed at the air base.
The exact location of the strikes are unclear at the time of publication.
The “Nebo-U” radar was first tested in 1992, with serial production beginning two years later, according to a 2018 article by Russian state media Russia Today (RT).
The system’s exact cost is not publicly available – while Ukrainian outlet Suspilne said it costs $100 million after the same system was struck in Russia’s Bryansk region in April 2024, the RT article said the “Nebo-UM” – an upgrade variant – costs 394 million rubles ($4.7 million as of September 2025).
The modernized “Nebo-UM” variant would have cost around $6 million at the time, after accounting for the inflation in Russia following the 2022 invasion.
The Mi-8, first introduced in 1967, is a mass-produced military helicopter used for transport, troop movement and sometimes combat missions that costs anywhere between a few hundred thousand to millions of dollars in the commercial market, depending on the version and year of production.
Kyiv has intensified strikes on occupied Crimea in recent months.
In early September, HUR said it destroyed a 48Ya6-K1 “Podlet” radar and an RLM-M module of the 55Zh6M “Nebo-M” system, in addition to more Mi-8s and a tug boat targeted earlier the same month.
Ukraine reportedly used its new Flamingo missile during one of the strikes.
A spokesperson from the Ukrainian navy said Russia has positioned more air defense systems than the oil refineries located within Russia.