New footage allegedly shows Russian Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters firing on targets in Ukraine.
The images show what appears to be a Russian attack helicopter flying low over a river before it then passes over open countryside. It can then be seen apparently firing its weapons at unseen targets.
At one point it appears to deploy flares, possibly in a bid to evade incoming fire. The footage then shows the attack helicopter flying over water again before it can be seen apparently returning to base and landing.
The helicopter can be seen sporting the now infamous ‘Z’ symbol on its tail.
The ‘Z’ and the letters ‘V’ and ‘O’ are among the symbols that can be seen painted on Russian military vehicles taking part in the invasion of Ukraine.
The footage was obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defense on Wednesday, August 3, along with a statement in Russian claiming: “During the special military operation, the helicopter crews of the army aviation of the Western Military District continue to carry out the tasks of destroying armored vehicles and military infrastructure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, escorting military columns, delivering troops, military cargo, air support for units. All flights take place at extremely low altitude.
“As a result of regular combat missions, command posts and armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine units were destroyed.
“Mi-28 multi-purpose strikers are loaded not before take-off, but immediately after landing. As soon as the propellers of the machine stop spinning, the technicians replenish their ammunition.”
The Russian Defense Ministry also claimed: “Vehicles don’t sit idle. Requests for support from Russian motorized riflemen or tankers from the front line come several times during the day or night shift.
“While some army aviation crews of the Western Military District are just returning from a combat mission, others are already preparing to take off. In the take-off and landing mode, the airfield operates non-stop. Each combat mission is preceded by scrupulous pre-flight preparation.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Zenger News contacted the Russian MoD for further comment, as well as the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. Wednesday marks the 161st day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Command of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces reported that between February 24 and August 3, Russia had lost about 41,350 personnel, 1,774 tanks, 4,022 armored combat vehicles, 939 artillery units, 259 multiple launch rocket systems, 118 air defense systems, 223 warplanes, 191 helicopters, 740 drones, 180 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,922 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 83 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower, but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv early on Wednesday with missiles launched from Belgorod, which is in Russia, some 25 miles from the border. The missiles damaged an industrial facility. This is according to Oleh Synyehubov, the Governor of the Kharkiv region.
A former commander of the Azov Regiment, Maksym Zhorin, has said that some of Ukrainian POWs who died in the explosion at the Olenivka prison in Russian-occupied Donetsk have been identified but that the lists are incomplete.
The U.S. has placed sanctions on Alina Kabaeva, 39, who is believed to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s lover. She now features on the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s list of sanctioned nationals.
Russia has accused the U.S. of direct involvement in the war by providing Ukraine with targeting information for missile strikes. Ukraine’s acting deputy head of military intelligence, Vadym Skibitsky, has denied that U.S. officials have been providing direct targeting information but he did acknowledge that there was consultation.
The Pentagon denied on Tuesday Moscow’s claims that Russia had destroyed six U.S.-made HIMARS missile systems since the beginning of the war. Todd Breasseale, the Pentagon’s acting spokesman, said: “We are aware of these latest claims by [Russian] Minister [of Defense Sergei] Shoigu and they are again patently false.”
Russia’s Supreme Court has labeled the Azov regiment a “terrorist” organization, paving the way for Moscow to impose lengthy prison terms on Azov members currently in Russian custody.
The first grain ship exporting food from Ukraine under a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations has reached Turkey’s Bosporus Strait from the Black Sea. It is the first of 27 ships planned so far that, it is hoped, will help fight the global food crisis.
The UN Refugee Agency said that over 10 million people have now fled across Ukraine’s borders since Russia invaded.
Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, warned that nuclear annihilation is only one miscalculation away at the opening of a nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference in New York. He said that the world is facing “nuclear danger not seen since the height of the Cold War.”
He added that the war in Ukraine was a significant factor and said: “Humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.”
