After months of negotiations, Ukraine has received the ATACMS missiles from the USA. The initial attacks reportedly show full success, as reported by German news website merkur.de.
Since October 17, the ATACMS missiles have been in use in Ukraine. In a single strike in Berdiansk and Luhansk, it is believed that nine Russian military helicopters were destroyed in one go. Referring to the investigative group Onyx, merkur.de reports that seven Ka-52 attack helicopters and two Mi-8 transport helicopters were destroyed. Additionally, possibly another 15 helicopters were irreparably damaged.
Furthermore, merkur.de reports a Russian withdrawal from the Berdiansk airbase, which had served as a crucial base for operations along the southern front. Satellite images show that all remaining intact helicopters have disappeared from the airfield.
These claims have not been independently verified or confirmed, and as such, they should be taken with caution. In times of war, it can be advantageous for conflicting parties to deliberately spread misinformation to strengthen their own position or weaken that of their opponent.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (2022-12-16), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)
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