List of Russian aircraft losses in the Second Chechen War

The following is an incomplete list of Russian aircraft losses in the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....

. It includes both helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

s and fixed-wing aircraft

Fixed-wing aircraft

A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...

.

The general Russian aircraft losses 1999-2002 consisted of about 45 helicopters (23 Mi-8

Mil Mi-8

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....

, 16 Mi-24, three Mi-26 and three others) and 11 fixed-wing aircraft (four Su-24 fighter-bomber

Fighter-bomber

A fighter-bomber is a fixed-wing aircraft with an intended primary role of light tactical bombing and also incorporating certain performance characteristics of a fighter aircraft. This term, although still used, has less significance since the introduction of rockets and guided missiles into aerial...

s and seven Su-25 ground-attack aircraft).

1999

August 9, 2 Mi-8 helicopters were hit, on the ground at Botlikh airfield, Dagestan, by anti-tank guided missile
Anti-tank guided missile
An anti-tank missile , anti-tank guided missile , anti-tank guided weapon or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily-armored military vehicles....

s, one killed.

In a different accident in the same day a Russian border guards Mi-8 suffered tail separation on take-off in Dagestan. Three crew members were injured - status unknown.

August 11, an Mi-8MT shot down by gunfire near the village of Novokuli, killing three.
September 9, a Su-25 crashed near the village of Buinaksk in Dagestan
Dagestan
The Republic of Dagestan is a federal subject of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea...

, due to mechanical malfunction. Pilot ejected and rescued.
September 11, a Russian military helicopter downed shot down near the Dagestani village of Duchi while on a reconnaissance mission.
September 24, an Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter crash-landed and exploded in Dagestan with reported no casualties.
October 3, a Su-25 was shot down by a missile during a reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

mission over the village of Tolstoy-Yurt killing its pilot.
October 4, a Su-24 shot down near the Chechen capital Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...

while searching for the Su-25 attack plane crashed the day before; the pilot was killed while the navigator was captured. http://www.aeronautics.ru/chechnya/losses/losses.htm
December 13, a Su-25 ground attack plane went down in the morning in the area of Bachi-Yurt. Russian military officials said that the aircraft went down due to one of its S-13 unguided rockets jamming in the launcher and causing serious damage to the plane. The pilot, Sergei Borisyuk, has ejected safely and rescued after 26 hours.
Later in the same day a Mi-24 and a Mi-8 were destroyed while searching for the Su-25 plane that crashed earlier. The Mi-24 crashed in heavy fog killing two crewmembers. A Mi-8 was able to locate and pickup the pilot of the Su-25, however two Mi-8s returned to the Mi-24's crash site and were attacked by Chechen rebels near the village of Staryye Atagi, while carrying out a low altitude flight. One of the Mi-8s was shot down and crashed, killing four people onboard.

2000

January 12, two Mi-8 pilots, including the Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...

Nikolay Maidanov, killed in an ambush as they prepared to land at Grozny Khankala airfield; the machine crash-landed by flight technician.
January 22, one Mi-8 helicopter suffered mechanical malfunction and crash-landed; no casualties. Another Mi-8 suffered mechanical malfunction and crash-landed; several injured.
January 29, two Russian Mi-8 transport helicopters came under fire over southern Chechnya, killing one man and severely wounding another.
February 18, a Russian army Mi-8 transport helicopter was shot down in the south of Chechnya, killing 15 people aboard.
February 21, an Mi-24 assault helicopter was heavily damaged by ground fire near Shatoi and crash-landed; no casualties.
May 7, a Su-24MR
Sukhoi Su-24
The Sukhoi Su-24 is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. This variable-sweep wing, twin-engined two-seater carried the USSR's first integrated digital navigation/attack system...

reconnaissance plane crashed into a mountain in dense fog near the village of Benoi-Vedeno during a target-acquisition mission for a flight of several Su-25; the crew of two killed.
May 14, an Mi-8 crashed on take-off due to a technical problem; 15 people on board were injured.
June 12, a Russian army transport helicopter crashed near Grozny, killing the crew of four.
August 6, an Mi-8 downed by ground fire, killing one airborne soldier.

2001

May 31, an Mi-8 with 15 passengers aboard damaged by ground fire; pilot died from wounds after landing the damaged helicopter.
June 1, two members of the State Duma
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...

's defence committee Alexei Arbatov and Yevgeny Zelenov injured in an attack near the border with Chechnya; the pilot of the helicopter was fatally wounded, and the co-pilot was forced to make an emergency landing.
June 14, two Russian Air Force
Russian Air Force
The Russian Air Force is the air force of Russian Military. It is currently under the command of Colonel General Aleksandr Zelin. The Russian Navy has its own air arm, the Russian Naval Aviation, which is the former Soviet Aviatsiya Voyenno Morskogo Flota , or AV-MF).The Air Force was formed from...

Su-25 planes simultaneously crashed into a mountain while on a combat mission, killing both pilots. The two aircraft crashed due to low visibility and difficult terrain.
June 14, one Mi-8 heavily damaged by ground fire and made emergency landing; crew unharmed.
July 19, a Russian Interior Ministry helicopter crashes near Engenoi, killing nine special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...

troops and wounding five.
August 4, an Mi-8 transport helicopter crashes near the village of Tuskhoroi in Chechnya, killing three and injuring five.
August 15, a Mi-25 gunship shot down by a GP-30
GP-30
The GP-30 Obuvka , GP-25 Kostyor and BG-15 Mukha are Russian under barrel grenade launchers for the AK-series of assault rifle. They were first seen by the west in 1984 during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. The initial version was designated BG-15, and was fitted under the barrel of AK-74...

grenade launcher
Grenade launcher
A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....

near Tsa Vedeno, killing both pilots.
August 17, Chechen fighters claim to shoot down a helicopter, a claim denied by Russian officials.
September 2, Russian military helicopter Mi-8 crashed down near the Chechen village of Khindoy, killing four Russian servicesman were killed and wounding two.
September 17, a surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...

shot down a VIP Mi-8 helicopter over central Grozny killing 13. The explosion killed several high-ranking Army officers, Major-General Anatoli Pozdnyakov (member of the General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...

of the Russian Armed Forces), Major-General Pavel Varfolomeyev (deputy director of staff of the Defence Ministry of Russia), eight colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

s, and three crew members.

2002

January 27, a Russian Interior Ministry Mi-8 was shot down in Nadterechny District and exploded, killing 14 people including the crew. Among those killed in the crash were Russian Deputy Interior Minister
Interior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...

Lieutenant-General Mikhail Rudchenko (responsible for security in the Southern Federal District
Southern Federal District
Southern Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its territory lies mostly on the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Its population was 13,856,700 according to the 2010 Census, living on an area of...

), and deputy commander of the Internal Troops
Internal Troops
The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs ; alternatively translated as "Interior " is a paramilitary gendarmerie-like force in the now-defunct Soviet Union and its successor countries, particularly, in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan...

Major-General Nikolai Goridov, as well as several other high-ranking officers including colonels Oriyenko, Stepanenko, and Trafimov.
February 7, a Russian military helicopter crashed and exploded shortly after take-off from Grozny, killing eight to 10 people aboard.
April 29, a Russian Su-25 jet fighter crashed over the Vedeno region of southeast Chechnya, killing the pilot.
August 9, the resistance fighters shot down an Mi-8 military helicopter near the village of Dyshne-Vedeno, killing up to three crew members.
August 19, an overloaded Mi-26 transport helicopter crashes into a mine field near the main Russian army base of Khankala
Khankala
Khankala is a settlement in Groznensky District of the Chechen Republic, Russia, located to the east of Grozny, the republic's capital. Population:...

, killing 127 soldiers aboard after being hit by a rebel missile. As of 2008, is the greatest loss of life in the history of helicopter aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...

. A Day of Mourning
Day of Mourning
The Day of Mourning was a day of protest held by Aboriginal Australians on 26 January 1938, the sesquicentenary of British colonisation of Australia...

was declared in Russia in connection with the catastrophe.
August 31, Russian forces announced that an Mi-24 was shot down by enemy fire near Nozhai-Yurt, killing both crew members, as the 36th helicopter lost since September 1999.
October 18, a military helicopter crashed into the Terek river in Chechnya, killing at least one.
October 29, an Mi-8 helicopter crashed during an attempted landing near Grozny, killing three crew members and an onboard officer.
September 1, a Russian military Mi-24 helicopter was shot down by a missile near the mountain village of Meskhety, with both crew members killed.
September 27, an Mi-24 gunship helicopter was shot down over Galashki
Galashki
Galashki is a village in Sunzhensky District of the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sunzha River near the border with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania...

in Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...

during a fierce firefight with rebels, killing two airmen.
November 3, Chechen rebels shot down an Mi-8, killing nine servicemen. The helicopter was struck by a portable ground-to-air missile fired from a building near Grozny shortly after its take-off from Khankala.

2003

March 20, two Mi-24 have gone missing during a combat mission in Chechnya.
July 7, an Mi-8 military helicopter crashed outside the village of Novogroznensky, killing four and injuring 11 servicemen.
August 7, an Mi-8 helicopter came under fire from the ground and crashed in the area of the Dyshne-Vedeno, killing one and seriously injuring two.

2004

September 5, an Mi-8 belonging to the MVD was found crashed into a mountain near the Ingush village of Karabulak
Karabulak, Republic of Ingushetia
Karabulak is a town in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located on the Sunzha River , north of the republic's capital Magas. Population: The Cossack stanitsa of Karabulakskaya was founded in the 19th century...

, killing two and injuring one.
September 14, Chechen rebels shot down an Mi-24 helicopter, both crew members survived and landed safely.

2005

March 10, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter crashes en route to Khankala, after hitting a power line (bullet holes were later reportedly found in the wreckage.). The crash killed 15 of the 16 people abroad, including members of the spetsnaz
Spetsnaz
Spetsnaz, Specnaz tr: Voyska specialnogo naznacheniya; ) is an umbrella term for any special forces in Russian, literally "force of special purpose"...

commando unit, Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk
Khabarovsk is the largest city and the administrative center of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia. It is located some from the Chinese border. It is the second largest city in the Russian Far East, after Vladivostok. The city became the administrative center of the Far Eastern Federal District of Russia...

FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...

, and the crew,
March 22, a Russian Mi-8 military helicopter crashed near Khankala, with some reports saying six people on board were killed.
July 16, a Russian border guard Mi-8 helicopter crashed in the Chechen mountains, resulting in eight dead, with one survivor.

2006

September 11, three army generals, including chief of logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...

of Russia's North Caucasus Military District
North Caucasus Military District
The North Caucasus Military District was a military district of the Russian Ground Forces, which became in 2010 the Southern Military District and lately also includes the Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla....

, Major-General Vladimir Sorokin, died when an army Mi-8 crashed in a suburb of Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...

, killing at least 12. A North Ossetian Islamic rebel group claimed they shot down the helicopter, but the defence ministry say the aircraft struck a tree in thick fog.

2007

April 27, a Russian military Mi-8 helicopter with special forces was downed by automatic rifle fire in Chechnya, killing all 20 people aboard.