These images show Ukrainian combat helicopters firing missiles and machine guns at Russian positions.
The footage shows Ukrainian combat helicopters flying low over countryside and unleashing their deadly ordnance on unseen Russian targets.
The images were obtained from the 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade named after Corporal General Viktor Pavlenko of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Wednesday, 5th April, along with a statement saying: “Our boys remind us that Easter will soon be here and we are collecting a festive kitty.”
The images were also relayed by the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine along with a statement saying: “Good mood and positivity from the fighters of the 12th Separate Army Aviation Brigade named after Corporal General Viktor Pavlenko.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 406th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 5th April 2023, Russia had lost about 176,240 personnel, 3,629 tanks, 7,005 armoured combat vehicles, 2,707 artillery units, 532 multiple launch rocket systems, 280 air defence systems, 306 warplanes, 291 helicopters, 2,283 drones, 911 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,573 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 299 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Finland has become the 31st member of NATO after Pekka Haavisto, the Finnish Foreign Minister, handed over accession documents to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said: “It is a great day Finland.”
He said that it was a new era for his country and that Finland would be a reliable ally, adding: “Security and stability are those elements which we feel very strongly; if people can live in secure stable circumstances that’s the basic element of happy life.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger.”
Finland’s accession to the alliance means that Russia’s border with NATO has now doubled.
US President Joe Biden has welcomed Finland’s accession to the military alliance and has urged Hungary and Turkey to finish their ratification processes for Sweden to join the Alliance.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and French President Emmanuel Macron, are set to arrive in China today, Wednesday, in a bid to “reset” ties with Beijing over Ukraine and trade.
Russian investigators have formally charged Darya Trepova, 26, with terrorism over the death of the pro-war military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky who was killed when a bomb hidden inside a small statue went off in a cafe in Saint Petersburg on Sunday.
The Russian state-owned news agency TASS has said that the number of people who were injured in the explosion has now risen to 40.
The authoritarian President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is set to travel to Moscow today for two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.
The parliament of Lithuania has banned Russian nationals from buying property in the country, saying that it is a national security matter.
