Handout image from Russian Defense Ministry of military helicopter
(Picture: AP)At least 23 of Russia’s attack helicopters have been lost or shot down by Ukraine’s air defence systems, British defence chiefs have said.
Russia’s helicopters have likely suffered under the sustained attack from Ukrainian portable air defence systems, a defence intelligence update said.
The helicopters frequently operate with less consistent top-cover from combat jets than they would expect under Russian military doctrine, the update added.
“There have been at least 23 verified losses of Russia’s Ka-52 HOKUM attack helicopter in Ukraine since the invasion. This represents over 25 per cent of the Russian Air Force’s in-service fleet of 90 Ka-52s, and nearly half of Russia’s total helicopter losses in Ukraine,” the update said.
“Russia is still failing to maintain adequate air superiority in order to reliably carry out effective fixed wing close air support near the front line, and its artillery ammunition is running low.
“Russian commanders are likely increasingly resorting to conducting high-risk attack helicopter missions as one of the few options available to provide close support for troops in combat.”
It comes as Ukraine invites UN inspectors to view two nuclear facilities in the country after Russia claimed Kyiv was planning to use a “dirty bomb”.
Russia has doubled-down on its allegation that Ukraine forces plan to use a regular bomb with radioactive materials - despite such a suggestion being rejected by the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
Russia has not offered any evidence for its claims, which were first made by the defence minister Sergei Shoigu over the weekend.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned it meant Russia itself could be preparing an attack of this kind.
The IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) said it had received an invitation from the Ukrainian government to carry out “verification activities” at two unspecified locations, adding that the agency’s inspectors have visited both sites regularly.
German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a surprise visit to Kyiv, his first since the February invasion.
“My message to the Ukrainians is that we are not only standing by your side. We will continue to support Ukraine, economically, politically and also militarily,” the president said after his arrival.
His message to Germans at home, Steinmeier said, was: “Let’s not forget what this war means for the people here in Ukraine. How much suffering, how much destruction there is. The people in Ukraine need us.”
Meanwhile a suspected car bomb in the Russian-held city of Melitopol in Ukraine injured five people, according to pro-Moscow officials.
