Ukraine destroys Russian Mi-8 helicopter in Kharkiv Oblast
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and inflicted significant losses on Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction, according to a General Staff report.
Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter in the Kharkiv direction on 10 October, according to a report from the Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The Mi-8 is a medium helicopter, originally designed in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. Russian production of the aircraft model continues as of 2024 for both military and civilian use.
The Kharkiv direction remains a critical front in the ongoing war due to its strategic location bordering Russia and its role as a potential launching point for further offensives.
The Ukrainian military reports that Russian losses in the area totaled 63 military personnel killed and injured, three destroyed artillery systems, two armored combat vehicles, a Mi-8 helicopter, 14 drones and four vehicles.
Ukrainian forces damaged three artillery systems, four vehicles and two units of special equipment in this direction.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 13 September that Ukrainian Forces stopped the Russian military in the Kharkiv direction and slowed down their advance in the Donetsk Oblast.
Vitaly Sarantsev, spokesman for the Kharkiv Operational-Tactical Group, said on 18 September that the Ukrainian Defense Forces strengthened their positions in the Lyptsi area of Kharkiv Oblast.
The Kharkiv Operational-Tactical Group of troops announced on 23 September that from 10 May to 21 September 2024, Russia’s occupying forces lost over 16,000 servicemen in the Kharkiv direction.
The National Guard reported on 4 October about a successful offensive operation in the Kharkiv Oblast, during which Ukrainian fighters “captured seven Russian positions, destroyed a PTRC position and a howitzer.”
A Russian Mi-8 helicopter went missing on 31 August and was later found crashed in Kamchatka in Russia’s Far East. All 22 people aboard, including 19 passengers and 3 crew members, died.
Western sanctions impacted Russia’s aviation industry, limiting access to spare parts and maintenance services for civilian and military aircraft. However, it’s unclear whether these sanctions directly contributed to this specific incident, as the cause of the helicopter’s disappearance is still unknown.
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