Russia has said that its Ka-52 attack helicopters have taken out Ukrainian armoured vehicles, as these images purport to show.
The footage shows a Russian combat helicopter preparing for takeoff before it can be seen taking to the skies and flying low over countryside.
It can then be seen firing its ordnance as the footage cuts to Ukrainian military vehicles reportedly being hit and destroyed by them.
The footage then appears to show the Russian combat helicopter returning to base and landing.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday, 17th July, along with a statement saying: “The crews of the Ka-52 of the Eastern Military District attacked the command post and armoured vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
The Russian MoD added: “The crews of the Ka-52 attack and reconnaissance helicopters of the Eastern Military District carried out missile launches at the discovered fortified points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. As a result, the command post and armoured vehicles of the enemy were destroyed.
“In the course of a special military operation, army aviation pilots escort columns of ground forces, destroy enemy armoured vehicles, deliver troops and military cargo to designated areas, and provide air support to units of the RF [Russian Federation’s] Armed Forces.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 509th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 17th July 2023, Russia had lost about 238,300 personnel, 4,115 tanks, 8,034 armoured combat vehicles, 4,504 artillery units, 685 multiple launch rocket systems, 428 air defence systems, 315 warplanes, 310 helicopters, 3,828 drones, 1,273 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 7,059 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 677 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defence Hanna Maliar has said that fighting in the east of the country has “somewhat intensified”.
She said that Russian forces have been attacking Kupiansk in Kharkiv for two days, saying: “We are on the defensive.”
She also said that there were “fierce battles” and that Ukrainian forces were “gradually moving forward” along the southern flank of Bakhmut.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said on television that the Ukrainian counteroffensive has been a failure.
Putin said: “All enemy attempts to break through our defences […] they have not succeeded since the offensive began. The enemy is not successful.”
Putin also said that Russia has a “sufficient stockpile” of cluster bombs and could use them if similar weapons were used against Russian forces in Ukraine.
He also denied that Russia had already used cluster bombs in Ukraine.
The UN’s-backed Ukraine grain export deal is set to expire later today, Monday, with the Kremlin saying over the weekend that it still had concerns and that “obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilisers still remain unfulfilled.”
Two people were killed on Sunday as a result of Russian missile and shelling attacks on Kharkiv.
Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s Border Guards, has said that only “a few hundred” Wagner mercenary fighters have relocated to Belarus so far.
He said: “There are some groups of mercenaries on the territory of Belarus, but we are not talking about any massive or large-scale deployment […] we are talking about a few hundred.”
