After the attack with ATACMS cluster munitions on air bases in the Russian-occupied areas of Berdyansk and Luhansk in mid-October, both Ukraine and British intelligence had speculated about significant damage to helicopters. It was suspected that this attack could lead Russia to withdraw troops from the front to protect them from further missile strikes.
According to a report by Defense Express, referencing satellite images analyzed by military analyst Brady Africk, by the end of October, all helicopters had disappeared from the base in Berdyansk. A month earlier, about two weeks before the ATACMS attack, there were still 20 helicopters stationed there, including models like the Ka-52 and Mi-8.
Satellite images also suggest that 21 Russian helicopters were recently relocated to an air base in Taganrog, Russia, as reported by the German news platform n-tv.de. It is believed that these are the helicopters previously stationed in Berdyansk. However, it remains unclear whether they were damaged by the attack and whether they had to be moved to Taganrog overland.
Image: European Parliament, President Zelenskyy says Russia is a grave threat to the European way of life (52678962968), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image size changed)
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