These images purport to show a Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter firing missiles at Ukrainian targets, claiming it destroyed fortified positions and armoured vehicles.
The attack helicopter can apparently be seen being prepared for takeoff before it heads towards its targets. It can then be seen firing its missiles, with the footage then showing smoke from explosions on the ground.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Wednesday, 29th September, along with a statement claiming the footage shows the “combat work of the crews of Ka-52 helicopters of the army aviation of the Western Military District.
“When performing combat sorties, pilots of Ka-52 reconnaissance and attack helicopters launched missiles at the discovered fortified strongholds and armoured vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. All flights take place at extremely low altitude.”
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 218th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 29th September, Russia had lost about 58,580 personnel, 2,325 tanks, 4,909 armoured combat vehicles, 1,385 artillery units, 331 multiple launch rocket systems, 175 air defence systems, 262 warplanes, 224 helicopters, 995 drones, 246 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,751 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 131 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has called for new sanctions on Russia “to make the Kremlin pay” for escalating the war in Ukraine.
European countries have said that they will increase security around oil and gas installations after the Nord Stream pipelines were allegedly sabotaged.
The European Union, the United States and NATO have all suggested that the pipeline damage between Russia and Germany was caused deliberately but have fallen short of officially blaming Russia directly.
European politicians have warned that the suspected sabotage could bring about a new era of hybrid warfare geared towards targeting energy infrastructure with the goal of undermining support for Ukraine.
The Russian-installed leaders of the Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in Ukraine have formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to annex the territories and formally make them part of Russia.
Downing Street has said that UK Prime Minister Liz Truss has told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call that Britain would never recognise Russian attempts to annex regions in Ukraine.
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has also denounced the “illegal referenda and their falsified outcome”.
Moscow has dismissed claims that Russia carried out attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, calling them “quite predictable and also predictably stupid”.
Russian authorities in North Ossetia are reportedly implementing travel restrictions to stop Russian citizens from fleeing to Georgia to avoid the draft.
Russian authorities have also said that they are setting up checkpoints at some of their borders to conscript men seeking to flee the mobilisation.
The United States’ embassy in Moscow has issued a security alert and asked American citizens to leave Russia immediately, saying that dual Russian-US citizens could be called up by the Kremlin to fight in Ukraine.
