In an incredible feat of airmanship and planning, a pair of Ukrainian Mi-24 attack helicopters slipped across the border with Russia on Friday night and lobbed 25-pound unguided rockets at a fuel depot in Belgorod, igniting a blaze that burned through the morning.
, via photos and videos, just two losses among Ukraine’s pre-war fleet of around 30 each active Mi-8 transports and Mi-24 gunships. And on Friday, two of the twin-seat Mi-24s flew potentially a hundred miles or more to lob S-8 rockets at the Belgorod depot.
The Mil crews’ tactics were apparent. They flew low, under cover of darkness, staying below the horizon of air-defense radars. They got close and let fly brute-simple, unguided rockets requiring no guidance by forces on the ground. Both Mi-24s apparently safely returned to whatever hidden base they launched from.
In ambition if not in purpose, the Friday attack echoes a U.S. Army operation 31 years earlier. On the morning on Jan. 17, 1991, eight Army AH-64 gunships, led by two U.S. Special Operations Command MH-53 transports, flew hundreds of miles and fired Hellfire missiles at a pair of Iraqi radars. The attack poked a hole in Baghdad’s air-defense network for subsequent U.S. and coalition air raids.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukrainian Helicopters Reportedly Strike Fuel Depot Over Border In RussiaI am a London-based reporter for Forbes covering breaking news. Previously, I have worked as a reporter for a specialist legal publication covering big data and as a freelance journalist and policy analyst covering science, tech and health. I have a master’s degree in Biological Natural Sciences and a master’s degree in the History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Cambridge. Follow me on Twitter theroberthart or email me at rhartforbes.com
Read more »
Ukraine's military helicopters hit fuel depot inside Russia—local officialThe regional governor of Belgorod said Kyiv's forces hit the site around 18 miles from the Ukrainian border and 40 miles from Kharkiv.
Read more »
Ukraine Helicopters Launch First Cross-Border Airstrikes, Says RussiaUkraine officials said they had “no information” on Russian accusations that two of its helicopters carried out an attack on Russian soil.
Read more »
Ukrainian members of parliament say Russia peace talks are not realA delegation of Ukrainian lawmakers visiting Washington, DC, have said they believe Russia is just using peace talks with Ukraine as a 'smokescreen' for their forces to regroup and re-strategize in Ukraine.
Read more »
Ukrainian president says defense against Russia is at a 'turning point'Volodymyr Zelenskyy again pressed the United States for more help, hours after the Kremlin's forces reneged on a pledge to scale back some of their operations.
Read more »