These images purport to show a Russian Ka-27 helicopter taking off from the Admiral Gorshkov frigate in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Admiral Gorshkov is now reportedly equipped with Zircon hypersonic missiles, which are a type of anti-ship hypersonic cruise missile.
The footage shows the helicopter taking off from the vessel in what the Russian Ministry of Defence was difficult weather. The helicopter can then be seen landing on the vessel as the footage ends.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday, 19th January, along with a statement claiming: “The crew of the Ka-27 helicopter of the frigate ‘Admiral Gorshkov’ performed flights for aerial reconnaissance in difficult hydrometeorological conditions.
“Pilot training was planned. During the flights, they carried out aerial reconnaissance in order to reveal the air and surface situation along the route of the frigate’s passage.
“Also during the flight shift, the crew performed takeoffs and landings on the frigate’s helipad on the move in order to maintain the level of training of the flight crew.
“The flights took place with sea waves up to 3 points and wind speeds of about 15 meters per second.
“The ‘Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov’ frigate is a modern multi-purpose ship with guided missile weapons designed to solve problems in the far sea and ocean zones. It was accepted into the Navy in 2018 and finalized in 2021 for the use of Zircon hypersonic missiles.”
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 330th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 19th January 2023, Russia had lost about 118,530 personnel, 3,136 tanks, 6,235 armoured combat vehicles, 2,122 artillery units, 442 multiple launch rocket systems, 220 air defence systems, 287 warplanes, 277 helicopters, 1,882 drones, 749 cruise missiles, 17 warships, 4,896 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 190 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Senior German officials said on Wednesday that Germany will not allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine to help defend it against Russia unless the United States agrees to send American-made main battle tanks.
The United States has so far declined to send tanks such as the Abrams main battle tank to Ukraine, with a senior Pentagon official saying on Wednesday that it is difficult to train soldiers to use it and hard to maintain.
NATO allies have over 2,000 German-made Leopard tanks, which are widely considered to be among the world’s most sophisticated tanks, according to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
But Germany’s leader Olaf Scholz avoided committing to supplying Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine while attending the Davos World Economic Forum on Wednesday.
Scholz said instead that his country was “strategically interlocked” with the United States, France and other “friends and partners” and that such decisions need to be part of a collective effort.
Charles Michel, the European Council President, has said that he favours providing Ukraine with tanks. He said on Wednesday: “We, the EU, will continue to support them for as long as it takes.”
And he added: “The time is now – they urgently need more equipment and I am personally in favour of supplying tanks to Ukraine.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that members of the alliance are set to send new “heavier weapons” to Ukraine.
Stoltenberg said: “The main message there will be more support and more advanced support, heavier weapons and more modern weapons.”
Canada has announced that it will donate 200 armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine. The donation was revealed during a visit to Kyiv by the Canadian Minister of Defence, Anita Anand.
Bulgarian officials have said that they secretly supplied Ukraine with large amounts of diesel and ammunition during the early days of the Russian invasion.
Former Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev said that Bulgaria, one of the poorest countries in the European Union, at times provided 30 per cent of Ukraine’s soviet-calibre ammunition and 40 per cent of its diesel.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda, speaking in Davos, warned that Russia may be planning a new major offensive in the next few months and has called on Ukraine’s allies to provide it with “weapons, weapons, weapons”. He also said that current levels of assistance to Ukraine were inadequate.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he has “no doubt” that a Russian victory in Ukraine is “inevitable”. During a visit to a factory in Saint Petersburg, Putin also announced that Russia’s military-industrial complex was increasing production.
Four people have reportedly been detained by the police in Moscow at a makeshift memorial in tribute to the victims of a deadly missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Saturday.
