Ukrainian saboteurs carried out a daring raid in the Moscow region, causing millions of pounds in military damage.
The attack took place overnight on November 9 at a military airbase in Klin, just 55 miles from Russia’s capital, and resulted in the destruction of a Mi-24 gunship helicopter.
Video images of a burning Mi-24 were published to social media channels by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
They show the £25 million helicopter gunship engulfed by a ball of flames as it burns.
HUR said the Mi-24 belonged to the 92nd squadron of the 344th Centre of Combat Application.
In a statement on their Telegram channel, they wrote: “HUR would like to remind everyone that for every war crime committed against Ukraine, the occupier will receive a fair punishment.”
Earlier on November 11, Ukraine’s General Staff reported that Russia had lost a stunning 329 helicopters since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The Klin-5 airbase serves as a strategic defence point for Russia, with its fleet of helicopters believed to be carrying out missions in Ukraine.
The fleet includes Mi-24s, Mi-8s, the new Mi-8AMTShs, as well as Ka-52 and Mi-28 helicopters.
The Mi-24 is equipped with an impressive arsenal of weapons, such as 9M 114 anti-tank guided missiles, as well as S-8 rockets with an 80mm calibre.
Ukraine’s military intelligence has conducted numerous operations on Russian territory, aimed at weakening its military potential.
It conducts these actions as part of hybrid warfare, using reconnaissance methods, sabotage, and information campaigns.
Such operations involve drones, cyberattacks, as well as strikes on key logistics points, fuel depots, railways, and air bases.
In April, Ukrainian special forces destroyed a Ka-32 helicopter at the Ostafyevo airfield in Moscow.
Grainy video images show the silhouette of a Ukrainian operative sitting inside the helicopter parked at the airbase.
The man appears to light a Molotov cocktail inside the cockpit before jumping out as the helicopter catches fire and explodes into a ball of flames, sending thick black plumes of smoke into the night’s sky.
