On December 4, the Ukrainian military declared that it had shot down a Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine. According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the Russian attack helicopter was sent to strike a Ukrainian frontline position near Svatove before it was seen and shot down.
The video of Russia’s most lethal aircraft being shot down was clearly visible on social media. Russia announced that their attack helicopter had been shot down in the Luhansk region. The Russian Armed Forces have lost another Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter, according to the Kremlin-affiliated Telegram group that frequently posts updates on military operations. Nearly 25% of their Ka-52 fleet was lost.
Sexy slow motion moment of shooting down Russian Ka-52 yesterday pic.twitter.com/HfanGMwDdc
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) December 5, 2022
When MANPADS engaged the pilot during the strike, there was not even enough time for him to release countermeasures. Additionally, compared to other Russian attack helicopters, the Ka-52’s armour protection is less effective, especially in the engine compartments, which lack armour plating and are therefore vulnerable to damage from even light weapon fire.
The Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter crew, which the Ukrainian air defence shot down today, was allegedly the most decorated and skilled in the Russian army, according to the @walter report Twitter account. They have also conducted the most sorties to kill Ukrainians up to now.
Once more, the shooting of their most fearsome combat helicopter and their top-tier pilots left Russian forces in shock and disbelief. Russian military specialists claim that a Buk missile or an S-300 surface-to-air missile struck the alligator. On social media, several other military observers discussed the possibility that the weapon used by the air defence brigade was a MANPAD produced in the US.
Since February 24, numerous other Russian attack helicopters have been destroyed in the fighting, including the MI-24 and Kamov Ka-50. According to the Ukrainian defence ministry, Russia has lost more than 90,000 soldiers, 2924 battle tanks, 5900 armoured vehicles, 211 air defences, 281 fighter jets, 264 helicopters, 1582 unmanned aerial vehicles, 531 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4497 trucks, and 163 special types of equipment.
