These images purport to show a Russian Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ attack helicopter taking out a Ukrainian fortified position and armoured vehicles.
The footage begins by showing the Russian attack helicopter taking off from an undisclosed location before it can be seen flying low over the Ukrainian countryside.
It can then be seen firing its deadly ordnance at unseen targets before the images cut to what appear to be targets on the ground being hit.
The footage then shows more ordnance being fired, with the images again showing what appear to be targets on the ground being hit.
The Russian attack helicopter can then apparently be seen coming back in to land.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday, 10th November, along with a statement claiming: “‘Alligators’ on the hunt: footage of the combat work of the crews of attack helicopters Ka-52. During the performance of combat sorties, army aviation pilots launched missiles at discovered fortified positions and armoured vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“As a result of the strikes, a command post and armoured vehicles of the Ukrainian troops were destroyed.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 260th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 10th November, Russia had lost about 78,690 personnel, 2,804 tanks, 5,682 armoured combat vehicles, 1,805 artillery units, 393 multiple launch rocket systems, 205 air defence systems, 278 warplanes, 260 helicopters, 1,499 drones, 399 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,242 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 159 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered Moscow’s military forces to leave the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, with General Sergey Surovikin, who is the commander of all of Russia’s forces in Ukraine, saying it was a “very difficult decision”.
Surovikin said that “Kherson cannot be fully supplied and function” and that while the “decision to defend on the left bank of the Dnieper [river] is not easy, at the same time we will save the lives of our military.”
The move comes just weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Kherson and three other regions were being annexed “forever” by the Russian Federation.
Ukraine has reacted with caution, with Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, saying: “Until the Ukrainian flag is flying over Kherson, it makes no sense to talk about a Russian withdrawal.”
US President Joe Biden has said that Russia’s retreat from Kherson is “evidence” that its military forces are suffering “real problems”, while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia’s withdrawal is “part of an overall pattern” showing the Kremlin “has absolutely lost the momentum”.
Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Russian-installed administration in Kherson, has reportedly died in a car crash, according to Russian state media. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Putin has posthumously decorated Stremousov with the Order of Courage.
Putin will not attend the G20 summit in Bali next week, but will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to Indonesian and Russian officials.
General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said that he estimates that approximately 100,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the war so far, adding that approximately 40,000 civilians have died. The estimates are the highest from a Western official so far.
