Russian War Games: Helicopter Accidentally Fires ‘Missiles’ on Bystanders, Injuring Two

A “technical glitch” drove a helicopter to accidentally fire “missiles” on bystanders during military exercises in Russia, seriously injuring at least two people, reports the Daily Mail, citing local news outlets and “horrifying footage” of the incident.

Nevertheless, the Russian military reportedly claims no one was wounded during the drills, dismissing the incident as “a purposeful provocation or someone’s personal stupidity.”

Daily Mail reports:

Two people are reported to have been seriously hurt after a helicopter accidentally fired on bystanders during Russian military exercises.

Horrifying video footage shows what appears to be two rockets being fired from an attack helicopter before exploding just feet away from three people and parked cars. The person who recorded the footage seems to have been interested in capturing a fly—by—but panic spreads, and he or she flees as mud and smoke fly into the air after the explosions.

The accident reportedly took place Saturday or Sunday during the 2017 Zapad war games, described as one of the largest military exercises hosted by Russia in years.

At least two cars were burned and two people sent to the hospital with serious injuries, reveals Daily Mail, citing the independent news website 66.ru, which noted that the missiles “blasted off on their own.”

Citing local media reports, United Press International (UPI) acknowledges:

Conflicting reports indicate that two or three people were seriously injured Saturday when a Ka-52 attack helicopter fired air-to-surface rockets at a vehicle during the week-long [September 14 to 20] “Zapad 2017” war games on the western borders of Russia and Belarus.

The Russian military reportedly conceded that a single rocket was fired accidentally but alleged that the munition struck an empty truck and wounded no one.

Meanwhile, the state-owned NTV television station reportedly claimed no serious injuries took place but mentioned the damaged cars.

In August, Russia dismissed Western concerns over the military drills, calling the war games “purely defensive” and not directed against any particular enemy.

Russia hosted the military drills along NATO’s eastern flank from September 14 to 20.

“The over-arching Zapad war games, which began on Sept. 14 and run to Sept. 20, are taking place in western Russia, Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad, and Belarus, a Russian ally which borders Ukraine as well as NATO member states Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania,” explains the Daily Mail.