UPDATED: Russian military helicopter crashes in Black Sea after explosion, Ukrainian Navy says
Editor's note: The article was updated with additional comments from Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk at a press briefing at Ukrinform Media Center.
A Russian Ka-27 helicopter crashed near Russian-occupied Crimea, likely due to an incident on board, Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on April 10.
"Minus Russian Ka-27 in Crimea. Was looking for something. Found it," Pletenchuk posted on social media.
The spokesperson clarified later during a press briefing at Ukrinform Media Center that the helicopter apparently crashed due to an explosion on board.
"We can say that the helicopter fell. We have information that this disaster was preceded by an explosion. This means that the crash did not happen simply due to technical reasons, but something happened on board," Pletenchuk said.
According to the spokesperson, there is currently no confirmed information about killed Russian personnel.
Earlier on April 10, Ukraine's General Staff reported that Russia had lost 325 helicopters since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Ka-27 helicopters were designed for the Soviet Navy to carry out attacks on submarines.
According to the Telegram channel Crimean Wind, Ka-27s are currently used by Russian forces in the Black Sea to monitor the movements of Ukrainian naval drones and landing boats.
Ukraine frequently uses domestically produced naval drones to carry out attacks on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the waters around Crimea.
Pletenchuk said on March 29 that Russian forces accidentally shot down their own Su-27 fighter jet over occupied Crimea due to "heightened combat readiness."
Russian occupation authorities in Sevastopol had reported on March 28 that the Russian warplane "crashed" off the Crimean coast without naming the cause of the incident.
The pilot ejected safely and was picked up by rescue services, according to the Russian-installed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev.
Read also: Opinion: What’s left of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet?
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