Video of Ukrainian MI-8 Flying Was Not Filmed in the Kursk Region
The Claim
Ukrainian Mi-8 flying over Kursk.
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Emerging story
Many users on X are sharing a video that allegedly shows a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter flying over the Kursk region in Russia.
An account named Kvist.P posted the video with the caption, "Ukrainian Mi-8 flying around in the Kursk region of Russia."
Another account named 'The Dead District' shared the video with the comment, "What are the Russian Air Defense and VKS doing?"
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
Geolocation Confirms Starokramatorsk Plant Is in Ukraine
Through reverse search and geolocation, Misbar’s team discovered that the video was filmed in Kramatorsk, the city and administrative center of Kramatorsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast, part of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.
The industrial facility shown in the video was identified as the Starokramatorsk Mechanical Plant, also known as the Starokramatorsk Machine-Building Plant, located in Kramatorsk, Ukraine.
Using Google Earth, Misbar’s team confirmed the location by comparing distinctive features in the video to satellite imagery. Specifically, the arrangement of four houses in front of the plant’s workshops matched the layout and positioning seen in the video, providing further evidence of the plant’s identity and location.
Frontline City Under Russian Attack
Since the Russian assault began in February 2022, missiles have frequently targeted Kramatorsk.
With a population of 150,000, the city is one of the largest in the beleaguered east still governed by Ukraine. It is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the front line.
Nearly all residents of Kramatorsk, eastern Ukraine, rely on humanitarian aid. Most of the remaining residents are either retired or temporarily unemployed, having left the area during the conflict.
A fatal missile strike on a train station in April 2022, which claimed the lives of over 50 civilians, is one of the notable incidents.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the goal of the missile assault on Kramatorsk in February 2023 was to target antiaircraft missile systems. Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov stated that the Kramatorsk region is home to the wrecked M-270 MLRS (multiple-launch rocket system) and M-142 HIMARS (high-mobility artillery rocket system).
As of September 16, 2024, combat is still ongoing in the Kramatorsk direction near Vasukivka, with Ukrainian forces repulsing five enemy attacks.
Ukraine Incursion in Kursk
Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and military commander-in-chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, have stated that the August 6 assault has captured approximately 100 communities and controls over 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of the Russian city of Kursk.
Russia has increased the size of its force grouping in Kursk Oblast by up to three times. Ukrainian Pivnich (Northern) Operational Command Spokesperson Vadym Mysnyk reported on September 14 that Russian forces had 11,000 personnel deployed in Kursk Oblast when Ukraine launched its incursion in early August 2024.
Mysnyk claimed that various estimates place the current size of the Russian force in Kursk Oblast between 30,000 and 45,000 personnel.
On September 13, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces have concentrated 40,000 personnel in Kursk Oblast and plan to deploy a total of 60,000 to 70,000 personnel in the area.
The reported expansion of the Russian force in Kursk Oblast reflects how operational pressures caused by the incursion have forced the Russian military command to redeploy elements from Ukraine to Kursk Oblast and commit newly generated forces within Russia to the region rather than the frontline in Ukraine.
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