Russian Soldier Jailed for Friendly Fire: Frontline vs. Prison
A Russian court sentenced Captain Igor Pashkov, an air defense officer, to nearly three years imprisonment for the October 2023 downing of a Russian Mi-8 helicopter in Crimea. Pashkov mistakenly identified the helicopter as a Ukrainian drone, resulting in the deaths of three crew members. He confessed to the error, which involved misinterpreting reports of a low-flying target despite subsequent clarification that it was a friendly helicopter. The fatal missile was launched from a Tor-M2DT system.