According to a Facebook post by the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, its troops shot down the helicopter overnight in eastern Ukraine, where Vladimir Putin’s war is currently focused.
“Happy Independence Day, Ukraine!” the post said.
The Russian Air Force’s Ka-52 helicopter, also known as the “Alligator,” was introduced in 1996. It is an all-weather attack helicopter that can be used against both armored and unarmored targets, low-speed aerial targets and military personnel. The Ka-52 is also deployed as a surveillance platform and aerial command post for a group of attack helicopters.
“Our missile and artillery units and aviation continue to successfully carry out fire missions in the designated directions,” Ukrainian forces wrote Sunday in a Facebook post, Newsweek previously reported. “The enemy is experiencing an acute shortage of trained and motivated reinforcements for units that are systematically suffering losses.”
The developments come as Ukraine marks 31 years of independence from the Soviet Union, amid heightened tensions and ramped up security in the capital, Kyiv, over fears of Russian attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an emotional speech on Wednesday that Ukraine was “reborn” when Russia invaded six months ago, on February 24.
“A new nation appeared in the world on Feb. 24 at 4 in the morning. It was not born, but reborn. A nation that did not cry, scream or take fright. One that did not flee. Did not give up. And did not forget,” he said, vowing to recapture regions in eastern Ukraine that have been seize by Putin’s forces.
“What for us is the end of the war? We used to say: peace. Now we say: victory,” he said.
Kyiv’s streets have been turned into an open-air military exhibition ahead of Ukraine’s Independence Day, with destroyed Russian military equipment on display.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, released a video on Facebook featuring Ukrainian soldiers to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day.
“What does independence feel like? Those who are fighting for it know its taste,” he said. “It’s the taste of the earth eating into your skin. The taste of blood and death that saturates the air. The salty taste of tears.”
“Independence is a responsibility that you bear. You go into a battle knowing that not everyone will survive it. They will stay with you forever, those who live and those who die. On your conscience. In your memory.”
Ukraine’s independence has a voice, Zaluzhnyi said.
“Independence is only ever possible when people are prepared to fight for it. I am grateful to you, the defenders of Ukraine! It is an honor to serve alongside you. Eternal memory to the fallen heroes! Eternal glory to those who live! Glory to Ukraine!” he added.
Newsweek has contacted Russia’s foreign ministry for comment.
