Having Lost As Many As One Third Of 'Copters To Ukraine, Russia Becomes Cautious

Russia has lost so many of its helicopter fleet to Ukrainian missiles, guns and other air defenses that it has had to change the way it uses them for fear to having the virtually irreplaceable weapons systems eliminated. 

The result is that Russian forces are firing from further away from the front, reducing their effectiveness and enhancing Ukrainian troops' ability to maneuver. JL 

Isabel van Brugen reports in Newsweek:

Russia had 899 helicopters at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces note that since the war began, Moscow has lost 324 helicopters. Russia is being forced to change how its Ka-52 helicopters are operating in the Ukraine war after suffering significant losses. The Russians are launching their attacks from afar (but) "These helicopters are far less effective at a considerable distance than if they flew closer. The Russians are afraid now."

Russia is being forced to change how its Ka-52 helicopters are operating in the Ukraine war after suffering significant losses, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday.

Colonel Oleksandr Shtupun, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria group of forces covering the Donetsk town of Avdiivka, explained Moscow's change in tactics during an appearance on Svoboda.Ranok, a project from Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty.

 

Russia has lost a significant number of its helicopters since President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, publicly available data suggests. The Ka-52, known as the "Alligator" by Russia and "Hokum-B" by NATO, has been described by military experts as one of Russia's most capable attack helicopters.

 

"At this stage, we are destroying them with missile attacks," Shtupun said, adding that Moscow's forces have been forced to switch tactics and launch attacks with Ka-52 helicopters

 

"The Russians are not currently entering the effective range of our air defense," he said. "Our soldiers have learned to shoot them down quite professionally. So the Russians are launching their attacks from afar.

"These helicopters are far less effective at a considerable distance than if they flew closer. The Russians are simply afraid now."

According to the British Royal Air Force (RAF), Russia had 899 helicopters at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The latest figures from the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, note that since the war began, Moscow has lost 324 helicopters.

Newsweek hasn't been able to independently verify Ukraine's figures. Estimates of military casualties in the conflict vary widely, with the numbers provided by Kyiv usually outstripping those given by its Western allies. Russia rarely releases figures on its own troop or equipment losses, but when it does, its estimates are far lower than those of Ukraine.

 

Dutch open-source intelligence defense analysis website Oryx has visually confirmed that Russia has lost 115 helicopters since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. It said that 100 have been destroyed, 13 were damaged and two captured.