As Ukraine Destroys More Russian 'Copters, Artillery, Counteroffensive Progresses

Ukrainian forces are increasingly figuring out how to destroy major impediments to its counteroffensive, especially self-propelled artillery and Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopters, which expert observers say is one of the reasons its counteroffensive is making more progress. 

Ukraine's air defense and counterbattery accuracy has increased as Russia's has decreased, giving Ukraine a significant advantage. JL 

Sinead Baker reports in Business Insider:

Ukraine is figuring out how to pick off Russian self-propelled howitzers and Ka-52 helicopters - major weapons - (and as a result) Ukraine's counteroffensive has started to make more progress in the past two weeks. 40 Ka-52s are confirmed lost through visual verification and that does not include two Ka-52 helicopters Ukraine shot down Thursday morning (today). Russia had 100 Ka-52s at the start of the war but might now have just 25 left.Ukraine has destroyed 350 pieces of Russian self-propelled artillery, with 29 more damaged, seven abandoned, and 10 captured.

Ukraine is figuring out how to remove some major roadblocks in its counteroffensive, like Russia's Ka-52 attack helicopters and self-propelled artillery, an expert told The Economist.

Nico Lange, a Ukraine expert at the Munich Security Conference, said Ukraine's counteroffensive had started to make more progress in the past two weeks.

And he said that Ukraine was picking off Russian weapons such as self-propelled howitzers and Ka-52 helicopters "piece by piece."

The UK Ministry of Defense said in July that the Ka-52s, known as the "Alligator" by Russia and "Hokum-B" by NATO, were giving Russia a big boost in its invasion of Ukraine.

It called the Ka-52 "one of the single most influential Russian weapon systems" in the Zaporizhzhia region, one of the areas Ukraine is focusing its counteroffensive.

But Ukraine is striking back, with the tracking group Oryx saying 40 Ka-52s are confirmed lost through visual verification.

And that number does not include two Ka-52 helicopters that Ukraine said it shot down Thursday morning.

The Economist, in its article, suggested that Russia had about 100 Ka-52s at the start of the war but might now have just 25 left.

The Kremlin calls Ka-52s the "world's best helicopter gunship," the Kyiv Post reported, and each one costs upward of $16 million, Ukrainian News reported, citing "open sources."

Oryx has also recorded 350 destroyed pieces of Russian self-propelled artillery, with 29 more damaged, seven abandoned, and 10 captured.

Ukraine started its long-anticipated counteroffensive in June, and while its military has made some progress in moving forward, it has not made significant gains.

Ukrainian officials have pointed to the strong defenses that Russia has built, including dense minefields that the country's defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said made Ukraine the most heavily mined country in the world.

Reznikov recently called on Ukraine's allies to send more equipment that could clear mines to help troops move forward and stop them from being maimed and killed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wanted his country's counteroffensive to start earlier but felt he had to wait for more weapons to arrive from allied countries. Experts previously told Insider that those delays allowed Russia to build its strong defenses.

But Lawrence Freedman, a war expert at the UK's King's College London, told The Economist that Ukraine was making progress.

"They're doing stuff and they're stretching the Russians," he said.