Ukrainian soldiers claim to have shot down £11m helicopter with £75 rocket launcher
dailystar.co.ukVladimir Putin, Ukranian forces appear to have destroyed a £11million Russian Ka-52 helicopter with a rocket launcher worth less than £100.The incident is said to have occurred in the heavily contested Kharkiv region where the two sides are battling intensely.According to the Ukrainian military unit Operational Command 'East' the attack happened as Putin’s helicopters flew low over the terrain under cover of darkness.On the group’s Facebook page, an officer named Yaroslav described the attack.He said: “At night, enemy helicopters went very low.
They circled over our positions, not even allowing us to raise our heads.“And an anti-aircraft gunner fired two missiles on them.
One, however, hit a heat trap, and the other shot down a Ka-53. It fell… It was a pity to spend a ‘Stinger’ on them, so the Russian Ka-52 was hit with the ordinary ‘Igla’.”The Igla that Yaroslav refers to is code for a cheap Soviet-developed portable surface-to-air missile (SAM) system which reportedly costs just $100 (£75).Top of the range units can sell for as much as $30,000 (£23,000) however it's thought that Ukrainian forces have been purchasing weaponry at discounted rates during the conflict.
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