According to a British assessment, successful Ukrainian attacks on Russian helicopter bases in Ukraine represent a significant blow to the Russian occupiers, as reported by the German news website n-tv.de.
The UK Ministry of Defence reports that Berdyansk in the south of Ukraine, where presumably nine attack helicopters were destroyed, served as an important base for the Russians for their operations along the southern front. “If confirmed, these losses are likely to impact Russia’s ability to defend this axis and conduct further offensive activities.”
In the attacks on October 17, Russia apparently also lost five helicopters in Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. This marked the first proven use of US-made ATACMS missiles, whose extended range allows for attacks far behind the frontlines.
This week, Ukraine employed the ATACMS missiles for the first time, which were supplied by the USA to defend against the Russian attack. According to military expert Nico Lange, speaking to the German news platform ZDF, the delivered version of the ATACMS (Army TACtical Missile System) has a range of 165 kilometers. This is an increase of 75 kilometers compared to the missiles previously used by Ukraine, as explained by the military expert. The HIMARS missiles, which have been used for some time, have a range of only 90 kilometers.
Image: Kremlin.ru, Vladimir Putin (24.06.2023), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size modified)
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