Helicopter on African Union mission crashes in Somalia, killing 5 Ugandan soldiers

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Five Ugandan soldiers were killed when a military helicopter serving the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia crashed Wednesday at an airport in the capital, Mogadishu, according to Ugandan authorities.

The Mi-24 helicopter was arriving from an airfield in the Lower Shabelle region with eight people on board at the time of the crash. It originally belonged to the Ugandan Air Force but was being operated by the African Union peacekeeping mission.

Uganda's military said in a statement that the helicopter was on “a routine combat escort mission," and the pilot, co-pilot and flight engineer survived the crash with serious injuries and burns.

Ahmed Moalim Hassan, director-general of the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority, told state media that investigations are underway.

Aviation officer Omar Farah, who was among the first to reach the crash site, told The Associated Press that he “saw the helicopter spinning and then it fell very fast.”

Abdirahim Ali, a nearby resident, said he saw "a huge explosion and smoke everywhere.”

Minor delays were reported at the Aden Adde airport, but flights and other operations have since resumed.

The African Union peacekeeping mission, known as AUSSOM, is helping Somali authorities to fight al-Shabab, a rebel group that opposes the presence of foreign troops in the Horn of Africa nation.

The mission includes troops from countries including Uganda and Kenya.

Associated Press writer Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda, contributed reporting.

Rescue efforts take place at the site after an African Union military helicopter crashed at Aden Adde airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo)

Rescue efforts take place at the site after an African Union military helicopter crashed at Aden Adde airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo)

Rescue efforts take place at the site after an African Union military helicopter crashed at Aden Adde airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo)

Rescue efforts take place at the site after an African Union military helicopter crashed at Aden Adde airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (AP Photo)

A Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh, local officials said Sunday.

A young woman died overnight in a hospital intensive care unit after debris from a drone fell on a house during the attack on Saturday, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said on Telegram.

Three other people were wounded and more than 10 apartment buildings, private houses and a high school were damaged, he said, adding that air defenses shot down 17 drones over Voronezh. The city is home to just over 1 million people and lies some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

The attack came the day after Russia bombarded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles overnight into Friday, killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv, according to Ukrainian officials.

For only the second time in the nearly four-year war, Russia used a powerful new hypersonic missile that struck western Ukraine in a clear warning to Kyiv and NATO.

The intense barrage and the launch of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile followed reports of major progress in talks between Ukraine and its allies on how to defend the country from further aggression by Moscow if a U.S.-led peace deal is struck.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday in his nightly address that Ukrainian negotiators “continue to communicate with the American side.”

Chief negotiator Rustem Umerov was in contact with U.S. partners Saturday, he said.

Separately, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia targeted Ukraine with 154 drones overnight into Sunday and 125 were shot down.

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This photo provided by the Ukrainian Security Service on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, shows a fragment believed to be a part of a Russian Oreshnik intermediate range hypersonic ballistic missile that hit the Lviv region. (Ukrainian Security Service via AP)

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, second left, listens to British Defense Secretary John Healey during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Danylo Antoniuk)