Two Russian officers were killed on April 25 in the downing of a Mi-8 helicopter in the northeastern Gao Region of Mali, according to a report by the project KIU ✪ Russian Officers Killed in Ukraine, which tracks the deaths of Russian military officers. The crash victims were Major Andrei Vasilyevich Kondratyev and Captain Dmitry Alexandrovich Lobanov.
The open source intelligence (OSINT) researcher Necro Mancer found a post about Lobanov’s funeral on his sister’s page on the Russian social network VK. “On May 29, 2026, a funeral service and farewell will be held in the church in the village of Bakhta for our brother, Capt. Dmitry Alexandrovich Lobanov,” the post said. A similar message was published on the page of a user named Yulia Lobanova on the social network Odnoklassniki.
The Russian pro-war Telegram channel Fighterbomber reported on the morning of April 26 that Russia had lost a helicopter in Africa. “The crew and mobile fire group on board were killed. The preliminary cause was external fire impact (an air defense system),” the channel wrote. Clash Report published a video that appeared to show the downed helicopter.
Russian troops were known to have been fighting in Mali late last month from an April 28 statement by Russia’s Defense Ministry about preventing a coup in the country. The ministry said aircraft, helicopters, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery had been used against militants in Mali.
“During fierce battles with superior enemy forces, Africa Corps units inflicted irrecoverable personnel and vehicle losses on the enemy, forcing them to abandon their plans, preventing a coup, preserving the power of the legitimate government and averting mass civilian deaths,” the ministry said.
Dmitry Lobanov, a native of the Kirov Region, served in the 112th Separate Helicopter Regiment, Military Unit 78081, based in the city of Chita in Russia’s Zabaikalsky Krai. According to Ukraine’s Myrotvorets database, Lobanov took part in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He also likely took part in Russia’s military operation in Syria, according to Necro Mancer. The Insider also noted that one of the awards on the captain’s uniform was the medal “Participant in the Military Operation in Syria.”
The Insider was able to confirm that the published photos do in fact depict Andrei Kondratyev and Dmitry Lobanov.
