Russian attack helicopters gain upper hand on key southern front, says UK MoD

The Telegraph via Yahoo ^ | June 17th, 2023 | Jessica Abrahams

[Mariner]

Russia is using attack helicopters equipped with long-range missiles to gain an upper hand on the key southern front of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, according to Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Moscow has deployed more than 20 extra helicopters to Berdyansk airport, which lies approximately 100km behind the front line, since Kyiv launched its offensive earlier this month, the ministry said in an intelligence update.

“In the constant contest between aviation measures and counter-measures, it is likely that Russia has gained a temporary advantage in southern Ukraine, especially with attack helicopters employing longer-range missiles against ground targets,” said the MoD.

It indicated earlier in the week that the Russian air force had been “unusually active over southern Ukraine”, which is at the centre of a counter-offensive as Ukraine hopes to sever Russia’s land corridor between annexed Crimea and eastern Donetsk.

The daily sortie rate remains much lower than at the start of the invasion, when Russia was flying up to 300 missions a day, the MoD said. But Russia has increased its use of air-to-surface weapons that allow attack aircraft to remain well away from their targets.

In particular, reports suggest that Russian attack helicopters are operating close to the front lines in the south and could pose a serious threat to the Ukrainian counter-offensive.

One Ukrainian commander who spoke to The Guardian near the front line in Zaporizhzhia described “constant attacks from helicopters, three or four times a day”, saying his brigade had no effective way to shoot them down from the ground.

[rxh4n1]

USA will do just fine without DC, NYC, Los Angeles, et al

This, this has to be the craziest post in FR history. Get a grip on yourself.

[rellic]

y’all are the crazy one.
I don;t need DC, NYC, and I grew up just outside LA.
Y’all explain to us of one Democrat run city that the USA Can’t do without. Just one.

[caww]

Yes - I understand.

[nickfrost1]

China is trying to manipulate the West and Russia to fight each other.===

West is manipulated by China? It is a new. China is no need to manipulate Russia so. Russia went into it because of 2 things. The security against threat from NATO and support Novorossiya.