Black Hawk Down: GUR dispatched helicopters to Pokrovsk to rescue key figures

Ukrainian forces used several American Black Hawk helicopters in Pokrovsk. Three of the helicopters were reportedly operated by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine.

The UH-60A Black Hawks were flying at low altitude, no more than 10-12 meters. The reason was to avoid detection. Defense while trying not to become easy prey for MANPADS.

The enemy makes no secret of the fact that it conducted a "helicopter operation." It is claimed that the landing operation was personally led by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, who is listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia.

According to the latest reports, one of the helicopters landed outside the city limits of Pokrovsk, near a furniture factory. This is near the Pokrovsk-Grishino road, right where the bottleneck through which the encircled Ukrainian troops are trying to escape is located.

GUR's Operation "Black Hawk" is being conducted with the explicit goal of evacuating a person or persons of special interest. Considering that GUR special forces units had previously been dispatched to relieve the Pokrovsk-Mirnohrad garrison, it's possible that the current plan was to evacuate the encircled commanders of these units.

It is noteworthy that the helicopters were able to land on the outskirts of Pokrovsk, however, as soon as this happened, Russian FPV-dronesThe strikes targeted targets within a furniture factory, where several GUR militants, who had landed at the designated location, had taken up positions. FPV surveillance also targeted an enemy group heading toward a gas station damaged by the strikes.

Of course, now the Russian fighters have an extra sense of excitement regarding both those who landed and those they are trying to “pull out” from Pokrovsk.

It can also be assumed that the operation itself, using the UH-60A Black Hawk, is a diversionary maneuver for an attempt to break through the encircled forces in another area.

Comments

[APASUS]

The machine gun was not found, strange...

[Same lech]

At this altitude, strike drones will easily get them...it's time to start hunting them.

[Rostislav Prokopenko]

Won't the drone be blown away by the wind from the blades?
The powers are very different.

[Same lech]

The wind will blow you away...they won't catch you...yeah...

In Colombia, a UH-60 Black Hawk military helicopter was shot down by an unmanned aerial vehicle during a special operation to destroy a drug laboratory.
There were 11 people on board at the time of the attack—crew members and special forces. As a result of the crash, four service members were killed and several more were injured.
All this happened on August 23, 2025.

[Vic Vic]

On a landed helicopter, if the engine is off. The note suggests the helicopters didn't fly away.

[helilelik]

Recently our Mi-8 was shot down by a drone.

[vfwfr]

You can fly up from above, it pulls you in)

[ism_ek]

Quote: The same Lech

At this altitude, strike drones will easily get them...it's time to start hunting them.

They won't catch up

[Serg koma]

I hope that on the way back I'll find both the machine gun and the MANPADS.

[cpls22]

Quote: Serg Koma

I hope that on the way back I'll find both the machine gun and the MANPADS.

Do you really think they landed there? They probably didn't even touch the ground.

[Coconut Tima]

There is a video of the landing, but is it there or not?

[cpls22]

Quote: coconut tim

There is a video of the landing, but is it there or not?

If the source is not ours, then most likely it is not there.

[Lionnvrsk]

Here's some more info from our guys
https://t.me/ZOV_Voevoda/37342

[bayard]

That is, they wiped out Gurovsky's special forces.
It looks like there's someone fat sitting there.
Maybe an Englishman?
Or were they trying to evacuate the brigade commanders?

[Serg koma]

Quote from cpls22

Do you really think they landed there?

What do my “thoughts” have to do with it, being thousands of kilometers away from the scene of events?
In this case, there is a discussion of the information provided in the report.

one of the helicopters landed outside the city limits of Pokrovsk, in the area of ​​the furniture factory.

P.S. I don't give downvotes in debates - it's not from me.

[cpls22]

Quote: Serg Koma

In this case, there is a discussion of the information provided in the report.

I have no complaints) The question was just part of the discussion.
It's just strange to say that the helicopter landed in a known location and could be intercepted on its way back, instead of organizing a strike on that location. The same text also said

The helicopters were able to land on the outskirts of Pokrovsk, but as soon as they did, Russian FPV drones began targeting the GUR special forces. The strikes targeted targets within a furniture factory, where several GUR militants, having parachuted into the designated area, had taken up positions.

Well, they didn't bury the helicopter in the ground after landing.

[AMG]

If that's the case, we need to have MANPADS on hand, too. Apparently, this is just the beginning.

[APASUS]

Quote from AMG

If that's the case, we need to have MANPADS on hand, too. Apparently, this is just the beginning.

MANPADS, a trained fighter, knowing direction, timing, and many other components. A machine gun is quite sufficient for such a low flight.

[AMG]

And a sniper rifle, too. A few shots and you might get lucky.

[AMG]

If it flies there, it will fly back. So we need to prepare and wait.

[Arkady007]

According to the latest videos, not all of the parachuted troops survived. But it's a given that we need to wait for a second sortie (if there's anyone left to pick up).

[Russia2014]

Yeah, it's all really weird....! ...it looks like they're starting to let the encircled people go again...it feels like the situation in Kursk is repeating itself..

[Olesya Lesya]

It's clear they're taking away some important personnel, even though they were "evacuated" from Pokrovsk long ago. Our troops need to shoot down these helicopters at least with something.

[barclay]

It's easier to cover the landing sites with artillery, like Grad missiles. And then they'll likely have no way back.

[Comrade Beria]

Only one helicopter is visible in the video of the landing.

There are reports that one helicopter did crash. We are awaiting confirmation.

[Nexcom]

..Shocks have fallen...

So why is he alone? It's not enough. Did he fall on his own or did our guys help him?

[Penzyak]

A big request: do not distort the Russian language and do not parody a people with a unique genetic code in the Selyuk language.

[Montezuma]

Dmitry, I think the downvote you got was wrong. Why not parody Ukromova, if it's appropriate?

[Nexcom]

Oh, and the minuses. Let them have fun... Happiness isn't in the "epaulets" of the site - it's in communicating with like-minded people. For the Ukrainians, the whole country is a parody of a country...

[Sergey39]

Kamikaze drones have been found. Eleven paratroopers have already been killed from a helicopter.

[Russia2014]

....yes, it's all very strange for us mere mortals that the NKE cauldrons are closing completely, that in favorable weather conditions the enemy can easily break out of the encirclement in small groups, that helicopters aren't being shot down....but those at the top, of course, know better and understand everything better, that everything is going well for them and why close the cauldrons, and how can they disobey and not let "important people" out of the encirclement, because they can just as quickly end the war, and they need that...!? ..judging by the situation, it seems not...

[Egoza]

Operation Black Hawk is a GUR operation conducted with the express purpose of evacuating a person or persons of special interest.

I doubt the unit commanders will be evacuated. Maybe they got some NATO "instructors" there? That's why they rushed after them.

[Nexcom]

Heroic guys (c) are destined to die heroically. You're probably right, Elena. There were either some serious Nazis there, or foreign geese, or both. They wouldn't have sent helicopters after the villagers...

[oleg-nekrasov-19]

It's completely unclear whether it was an evacuation or not. One helicopter practically didn't land; the other two were carrying troops who landed and were destroyed by FPV drones. One helicopter was shot down. Why these idiots did all this, to be honest, I don't really understand.

[Huarabey]

For information noise, to push the topic with the correspondents to the bottom of the information field.

[bober1982]

Quote: Warabey

For information noise, to push the topic with the correspondents to the bottom of the information field.

The previous Ukrainian landing force, hyped up as being for the purpose of relieving those encircled in Pokrovsk - ten Ukrainian special forces (as it turned out in reality) - was allowed to land from a helicopter, three of them were killed at the landing site, the rest a little later.
We found and learned a lot of interesting things.

[Xnumx vis]

Quote: oleg-nekrasov-19

To be honest, I don't really understand why these idiots did all this.

How about making some noise, whistling, shouting about the crossing and the glorious fighters of Vsuk?

[oleg-nekrasov-19]

The video of the "daring GUR operation in Krasnoarmeysk" that sent the entire military blogosphere into a frenzy last night was filmed two days ago. All participants were killed within two hours of landing.
The video's posting and subsequent media promotion is a two-step plan by A. Ermak to remove the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Yuri Budanov. [The text appears to be a mistranslation.] Aslan Nakhushev's (Captain First Rank) channel. I think this is more on topic, and you're 100% right.

[panzerfaust]

It's the same old story again: "It's all paid for." That's why the machine guns jammed and the MANPADS got lost somewhere.

[BAI]

Of the three helicopters, none were shot down? After all, all three crossed the front line.

[Geosun]

Quote: BAI

Of the 3 helicopters, none were shot down?

What's surprising, considering no one's been flying there for a long time? And there's no point in keeping an extra MANPADS crew on the line.

[multi-category]

There is no front line there - there is a strip where mutual destruction takes place.
rather, they ended up in the front line

[Vladimir Vladimirovich Vorontsov]

❝ The Main Intelligence Directorate sent helicopters to Pokrovsk to save important figures ❞ —

- These are the ones. figures, which our leadership wanted to show to foreign journalists, while the conscious ones, on the contrary, did not want to expose them...

[Comrade Beria]

And here is the promised third episode of "The Fall of the Yellow-Blue Hawk",

https://vkvideo.ru/video-228568310_456273045?ref_domain=yastatic.net

No, just a trailer.

[Scipio African]

It's a pity the vulture left, but the boys raised a good hundred chicks.

[fuel oil]

What's surprising is that there wasn't a single FVP for the helicopter? They took away the transport, then they're going to finish off the landing force. I'm no expert, of course; the people there know better...

[Comrade Beria]

Operation Black Hawk is a GUR operation conducted with the express purpose of evacuating a person or persons of special interest.

It's all much more prosaic - to install a yellow and blue rag on the entrance stele to what is still Pokrovsk.

[Monster_Fat]

Helicopters are flying freely... A "bottleneck," so to speak. Oh well. I hope history doesn't repeat itself with the infamous "Demyansk pocket" of 1942-1943...

[Nastia makarova]

So what? Sometimes equipment passes by and soldiers sneak through.

[Kusja]

They compared the soldier to a fat American bird. To "land" it, they'd immediately send a couple of our helicopters there. Or do the crested ones have man-portable air defense systems? Ours don't, but they do?

[Nastia makarova]

they didn't react quickly, they didn't have time

[Russia2014]

...here it seems the situation in the Kursk region is repeating itself, when they freely escaped from encirclement...

[Huarabey]

It is not very clear from the text, this “operation” has already been completed (The enemy does not hide the fact that spent "Helicopter operation"), or is it still ongoing? And what about the helicopters? Did they drop people off and fly away? But in that case, it's not a given that they'll be able to pull anyone out, or that they won't all go down safely.
Where did this information come from anyway?

[th.kuzmichev]

Operation "Drop" was a success. Another one came to mind, the "moon landing." It was also a success.

[bober1982]

Quote: Warabey

Where did this information come from anyway?

From a journalist at The Economist: The Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counteroffensive near Pokrovsk, and so on, helicopters, gunfire...

[Vladimir Nizhegorodsky]

Similar operations were carried out in Mariupol.
But most of them were shot down because there was information.
Here there are factors of surprise and unexpectedness, as well as not being completely surrounded and the front line has not yet been established.
So there is a chance of intercepting and destroying them.
Although there is a version of a diversionary maneuver by the enemy...
But most likely the enemy is trying to pull out the fat commanders and NATO instructors.
I wish the guys courage and our success and good luck in hunting enemies!
Work brothers!

[AMG]

And how, on April 1, 2022, two helicopters attacked an oil depot in the Belgorod region? So, the enemy is cunning and wily, so if an encirclement is established, it's necessary to plan for the need to prevent such flights.

[bober1982]

Quote from AMG

So the enemy is cunning and insidious

But our tanks are fast and their armor is strong.

[AMG]

Absolutely! So the question is, where was this video that ended up on Telegram filmed? Maybe somewhere on the other side?

[Mountain shooter]

Ah, no one used MANPADS in the assault! They're useless against drones, and no one was expecting helicopters. You can't shoot them down with small arms fire at long range. And there are no tanks or BMPTs on the front lines either. Someone suggested this move to the crested ones, with helicopters. That's why they didn't land, parachuting in from a hover, so they wouldn't be destroyed by FPV cameras, and the air currents from the rotor blades might even prevent them from getting through.

[Huarabey]

The airflow there can not only blow the drone away, but also drag it down. It depends on the direction the drone is coming from. If it's coming from above, in front of the propeller, that's quite possible.

[Andrey_i_K]

That's right...it would have sucked you in from above, like into your own home, if without electronic warfare.

[Sergey T19]

This can't be described as anything other than the death throes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Things must be really bad if they had to risk pilots and helicopters. It seems Syrsky and Zelensky have no idea what they're doing.

[egsp]

A MANPADS would be at hand if we were defending ourselves, but as it is... It's unlikely that the attackers will lug around an Igla or a Verba, it's heavy and inconvenient.

[Andrey_i_K]

a shortcoming of our GRU...

[Andrey_i_K]

and the helicopters were not touched by the "agreement"???

[K-50]

I hope our guys will have time to set up an ambush with air defense so that not a single bastard gets away.
Throw them into the ground, into the ground!!!!

[K_4]

Okay, MANPADS, it's clear their assault forces don't carry them, but didn't we have a single Buk nearby? Or Sukhoi missiles on duty? They're supposed to track targets like that from miles away. And here they just fly in and out. So why aren't our Grach missiles taking them out along with all those Night Hunters? I don't think the Ukrainians carry MANPADS. This is more nonsense, in my opinion.

[Grits]

Quote: K_4

Then why don’t our “Rooks” iron them out along with all these Night Hunters, n

Have you noticed that there are no more reports or videos about the use of Night Hunters and Alligators? There are no helicopters at all, and even the Su-25 is rarely seen. All the action is on the ground. There are practically no vehicles, everything is on the soldier's shoulders.
Apparently, the enemy also noticed this and realized that we had nothing to shoot down the "hawks" with, so they took the risk.

[Vladimir60]

New action movie "Black Hawk Down 2".

[Coconut Tima]

"At night, special forces of the Ukrainian GUR landed from two UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters in the northwest of Pokrovsk, flying in at the lowest possible altitude. The special forces' task was obvious - to break through the encirclement of Russian troops on the highway to Grishino. Perhaps also to plant a flag at the entrance to the city. But either the operation was poorly planned or because Budanov personally commanded it - the special forces were "scattered" in about 30 minutes by our FPV operators with thermal imagers. The first group was hit 300 meters near the landing zone near the Mebelstroy factory: 48.294062, 37.132715. The survivors ran another 150 meters towards the WOG gas station: 48.295490, 37.127339, where they were finished off. Another group was destroyed 250 meters from the landing zone near Mebelstroy: 48.294445, 37.134496."

[kriten]

Have we created a corridor for our helicopters? Is there no one to shoot them down, or have they given orders not to touch them?

[sdivt]

Here's what our other media outlets are writing on this topic:
The following phrases are interesting:
"mass suicide"
"last breath operation"

"Instead of Western journalists, Zelya decided to send a GUR special forces group to Pokrovsk. And not just like that, but like in the movies. At night, in an American helicopter," noted Alexander Kots.
According to him, having landed in the northwest of the city, the paratroopers managed to occupy only “one house and one gas station,” after which they were immediately discovered.
"This is confirmed by the dry footage of newsreels filmed by Russian drone operators, who watched the mass suicide in amazement from their night-time 'birds,'" writes Kots, adding that the operation, under the motto "there is no encirclement, we are cheerful, happy, and here is our flag at the Pokrovsk stele," failed miserably.
Boris Rozhin also confirms this information. According to him, most of the landing force, which consisted of elite fighters, was destroyed.
"The American UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter they arrived on was also destroyed. The attempt to use special forces to orchestrate a media crisis failed," the expert concludes.
As a reminder, the previous evening, British journalist Oliver Carroll, a correspondent for The Economist, reported on the landing of Ukrainian troops near Krasnoarmeysk. He immediately characterized the event as a "last-gasp operation," the purpose of which was presumably to create a corridor for the withdrawal of encircled Ukrainian Armed Forces units.

[bober1982]

Quote from sdivt

Here's what our other media outlets are writing on this topic:

There is also some interesting news coming:
- helicopters landed west of Pokrovsk in a field (the location was calculated), which no one controlled.
- It is not clear when the video was filmed.
- the shooting is chaotic and ostentatious.
For the average Ukrainian, it's enough - the Ukrainian Armed Forces have launched a counteroffensive.

[Ivan№One]

These "other media" also do not clarify what happened to the helicopters.

[Montezuma]

Quote from alanery

Helicopters are showing off over Pokrovsk - who issues such permits!

Could you provide photos or videos of helicopters "showing off" for viewing?
But yes, of course, and undoubtedly, a treacherous “deal” was carried out and permits were issued to please the “Western partners.”
A mediocre attempt at yet another primitive sketch - as they say, for lack of anything better, maybe this will do.

[alanery]

Yes, there are plenty of videos on the internet. Anyone with intelligence can see them for free...

[123_123]

What about the helicopters? They're easy targets.

[bober1982]

That's it, we can go our separate ways, the Ukrobanderite paratroopers are being finished off, another bloody media failure.
This is what it means when a buffoon and an actor are at the head of Ukraine, and a Vyrusian is at the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

[musorg]

What's strange is that helicopters are flying in to the encircled areas and landing. How is that even possible, author?

[Grits]

So, there you have the answer to the question: is there an encirclement there or not? Judging by the map, it's where our soldiers planted the Russian flag on the stele at the entrance to the city. That is, where, supposedly, our troops are stationed. As it turns out, the presence of the flag in no way prevents helicopters from flying and landing there. And no one even tried to shoot down the helicopters that flew into the "encircled city." Apparently, it's not quite encircled, as Gerasimov claims.

[Thumbs]

They missed the extraction operation again. These special ones should have been left there to decompose.

[Ivan№One]

It's not clear from the article: did they arrive, land, and fly away?

[bober1982]

And here's Samara Governor Fedorishchev, another escalation, the blogosphere, the public, bureaucrats and ordinary people, everything is seething.
There is an interesting point here: perhaps this is not the governor’s aggravation, but a gross mistake(s) by his PR people.

[Vertuhai 2003]

Why wasn't it shot down with a MANPADS? What's going on? Kyiv continues to surprise Russian generals.

[fledermausi]

A UH-60A Black Hawk—strange, they're sparing the property of their "esteemed partners"? And they're only hitting their lackeys, such a big target (visible in the video), static, practically on the ground, and no one touched it. What the hell. And how did it land? It wasn't coming from Canada or Australia, but from somewhere close by, and this is in the fourth year of military operations. And these events aren't happening in western Svidomo, but in the Donetsk People's Republic, in a very limited area—how can you explain that?

[bober1982]

Quote: fledermausi

how to explain it?

There is no dad.
How much do I need to explain?
Read history - there are answers there.
We are sinners, the peonies of our sins blossomed.

V. Fedorishchev
Here is the answer, a detailed one.

[bober1982]

In short, as Fedorishchev sings in his audio track, which, by the way, is superimposed on a video with American rapper Eminem:
"Wings" is our common movement.
And now, that's all, let's go our separate ways, we've talked enough.

[Alexey Koshkarov]

And the Grand Grandmaster failed to pull out the NATO scumbags under the guise of Western journalists?

[Rostislav Prokopenko]

I just remembered something - a good movie "Black Hawk Down" by Ridley Scott

[Glagol1]

They used Mi-8s to evacuate Nazis from Mariupol in 2022. Apparently, they ran out of Miles, so now they're using Blackhawks. They've got this down pat, admittedly. Why aren't they shooting them down? It's a rhetorical question. Why is the Black Sea Fleet down eight pennants? Because.

[storm]

Where are the Russian air defense systems if helicopters fly back and forth through the LBS with impunity?
They could at least issue MANPADS to the frontline fighters, otherwise the situation is becoming strange...

[guest]

Quote: assault

At least they could have issued MANPADS to the soldiers on the front lines

I thought the same thing.

[MCmaximus]

Haven't you carried MANPADS on assault missions in a while?))). So I'd stock up on ammo and a bottle of water.

[james]

Another deal, and everything else is just talk for the poor. Someone needs to be taken out, and our guys are pretending to destroy them. The camera was found, but there's a problem with the machine guns, or the MANPADS, the GRP, etc.

[MCmaximus]

What nonsense. If they came for someone, then they should have picked them up. But a bunch of people jumped out and ran away. And the helicopter flew away.