The Mi-8 helicopter was shot down,killing all three onboard (Picture: e2w)

A Russian Mi-8 military helicopter worth £11 million was shot down by Vladimir Putin’s own air defences,reports say. 

Three crew members – the pilot,navigator and gunner – were killed in the ‘friendly fire’ incident in the Voronezh region. 

The helicopter was lost as it attempted to deter incoming Ukrainian drones.

Russian pro-war channels are infuriated after the incident,claiming the army is ‘incompetent’ as the war in Ukraine prepares to enter its fifth year in February.

One Telegram channel wrote: ‘I will not name the causes. 

‘The cause is a classic one,one that humanity is unlikely to ever manage to defeat.’

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.The post accused senior commanders of being ‘****ing morons.’In 2024,a similar accident happened when a £11.5 million stealth drone was shot out of the sky by Putin’s Su-57 warplane.Two aircraft were seen speeding across the sky over eastern Ukraine when the trailing plane fired a missile and hit the other.The attacked aircraft exploded and fell out of the sky before the other plane – believed to be a hi-tech Su-57 – veered off to the side.Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at .For more stories like this,check our news page.