‘Burns Well, Good Job’ – Ukraine Downs Yet Another Russian Helicopter

Ukraine’s armed forces have downed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter during fighting over the weekend.

Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), published a video of the flaming wreckage in a post on Telegram.

The accompanying text reads: “A Russian Mi-8 was shot down. Great work by the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade.

“Burns well, good job warriors.”

There is currently no information about casualties nor detailed information on where the incident occurred.

First developed in the 1960s, the Mi-8 helicopter is primarily used as a transport aircraft and is one of the main workhorses of the Russian air force and can carry up to 24 troops.

They are also used by Ukraine’s forces. A Ukrainian pilot recently described “secrets of his crew’s successes: low-level flights, fast turnaround, and a dedicated support team” in an interview with RFE.

According to the independent monitoring group Oryx – which only counts losses confirmed though open sources – Ukraine has so far shot down 21 Russian Mi-8s out of a total of 106 Russian helicopters of all types.

Ukrainian military authorities put the number at 317 though not all of these have been independently confirmed.

According to Oryx, the most commonly destroyed Russia helicopter during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine is the Ka-52 Alligator, billed by the Kremlin as the world’s best helicopter gunship.

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Russia has so far lost at least 44 Alligators, a significant blow to the Kremlin’s air force.

The Kamaz Ka-52 Alligator is considered by military experts as one of the best attack helicopters in the world due to its counter-rotating rotors, “smart” targeting systems, thick armor and powerful armament.

It has a crew of two and one unit is priced at around $10 million.

A heavily-advertised feature of the aircraft is the Vikhr attack missile, a weapon Moscow claims can destroy any tank at a 10 km. range, enabling Ka-52 gunners to pick off targets well outside the reach of most Ukrainian air defense weapons.

At least some of Ukraine’s counteroffensive equipment losses are believed to have been inflicted by Ka-52s hovering over the battlefield and firing rockets, according to Forbes.