Satellite imagery circulated in the wake of Ukraine’s September 4, 2026, drone attack on Sochi Airport appears to show two destroyed Russian attack helicopters and a third helicopter damaged at the airport’s military parking area.
The open-source Telegram channel ‘Absolutely Reliable Source’ identified the aircraft as a Kamov Ka-52 and a Mil Mi-28, with a Mi-8-family helicopter also sustaining damage.
NASA FIRMS data provides additional visual corroboration, showing two clusters of satellite-detected thermal anomalies at Sochi International Airport on September 4, 2026. Comparison with satellite imagery indicates that one aligns with the airport’s southwestern fuel-storage site, while the other overlaps the runway-side military flight line.
The aircraft identifications and extent of the losses remain an open-source assessment. The available reporting does not establish the helicopters’ individual registrations, exact variants, or operational condition before the attack.
Fuel-storage facilities also hit
The reported helicopter losses add to the damage at fuel-storage facilities around the airport in Adler, on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
Six tanks were reportedly destroyed at the nearby BATO fuel depot, while three tanks at a Lukoil depot were destroyed or damaged.
Russian authorities separately acknowledged a fuel-depot fire following the overnight attack. The Krasnodar region’s operational headquarters said drone debris had also damaged windows in residential properties and other buildings in Sochi and the neighboring federal territory of Sirius. Its preliminary account reported no casualties.
Flights disrupted and refueling restricted
The attack also disrupted civilian operations at Sochi Airport. Airport operations have been restricted for more than 11 hours, with flights diverted, delayed or canceled.
A notice to air missions (NOTAM) limiting aircraft refueling to the airport’s Lukoil operator until the middle of September 5, 2026, was issued. An earlier notice had imposed restrictions covering all of the airport’s fuel operators.