DOWN IN FLAMES
Russian helicopter downed in fireball blast as Putin’s air force ‘loses nine aircraft’ in worst day of invasion so far
A HELICOPTER which erupted into a fireball as it was blasted by Ukrainian heroes is reportedly one of NINE Russian aircraft lost on Putin's worst day so far.
Footage posted online with the caption "Welcome to hell" shows the incredible moment the chopper was blown out of the sky.
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It's one of 44 helicopters and 44 jets lost by Russia overall - along with 10,000 of their soldiers, according to reports from the embattled nation.
Investigative journalism group Bellingcat geolocated the footage to Kozarovychi in the Kyiv Oblast - around 25 miles from the capital.
Users on social media suggest the helicopter could be a Mil Mi-24 Hind gunship, which was in use by Soviet forces from 1972 and dubbed the "flying tank".
Separate clips show Ukrainians cheering and applauding as they appear to shoot down two Russian aircraft in the Chernihiv and Mykolaiv oblasts.
The clip from Chernihiv, in northern Ukraine, shows two pilots parachuting out. One died, while the other survived, it's claimed.
The surviving soldier is seen in a blood-stained t-shirt with a bandage wrapped around his head.
He's believed to be Major Krasnoyartsev, lauded as a hero for fighting in Syria and pictured with Putin and Bashar al-Assad.
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The soldiers get their captive to say "glory to Ukraine" before asking: "Why are you bombing people?"
It's believed his aircraft was a Sukhoi Su-34 - a fighter-bomber which had also been used in Syria.
In a separate film, a captured pilot in an orange jumpsuit is seen bloodied and on his knees as he's questioned by Ukrainian fighters in Mykolaiv.
Tinpot tyrant Putin has faced a punishing battle at the hands of the Ukrainians. He has so far failed to gain air superiority - which is drastically hampering his crazed invasion.
The Kyiv Independent reported tonight: "Ukraine has downed 44 Russian planes and 44 helicopters in 10 days of all-out war.
"According to the Armed Forces Air Command, on March 5 alone, Ukraine shot down four helicopters and five aircraft, including one Su-25 fighter jet, two Su-34 fighter bombers, and two Su-30 SM planes."
Footage of the Mi-24 being taken out has gone viral online. It shows the helicopter flying over the landscape before a guided missile - possibly a stinger - smashes it to pieces before it can launch countermeasure flares.
It hurtles through the air before exploding as it crashes into a field - with a town visible in the background of the footage.
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"This is how the Russian occupiers are dying. This time in a helicopter," Ukraine's defence ministry tweeted.
"Glory to Ukraine and its defenders! Together to victory!"
Meanwhile, the US is working with Poland on the possibility of supplying warplanes for Ukraine's fightback, a White House spokesperson has confirmed.
Ukrainian pilots currently train on Russian-made jets.
President Joe Biden is considering finding replacements for any fighter jets Poland might send from its fleet to Ukraine, the spokesperson said.
But Putin has raged that Western sanctions against his regime are like a "declaration of war".
And Russia issued a direct threat to Britain tonight saying it "will not forget" support for Ukraine and warning of "tough retaliation".
It comes after a week of vicious bloodshed that has seen thousands of civilians butchered at the hands of Putin's forces.
Yesterday morning a brief ceasefire was declared in the strategic port of Mariupol in the southeast and the eastern town of Volnovakha.
It comes as:
- Heartbreaking photos show the horrors of Vladimir Putin's war - including a baby being carried amongst the rubble
- Russian generals have been urged to ASSASSINATE demented Putin to stop the war in Ukraine
- It is feared Vlad may begin to chemical weapons on civilians like he did in Syria
- Russia received international condemnation after it attacked Europe's biggest nuclear power plant
- British journalists came under fire by Putin's troops in a horrifying video from the frontline
- Ukrainian mayor Gennady Brokovik brandished grenades as he defiantly stood up to the Russians
- Russia losses are mounting - and Vlad has lost at least three army commanders in the fighting
Russian forces promised to let civilians leave - but were just over an hour later accused of breaching the agreement.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the new humanitarian corridors - but urged those who could to "continue fighting".
And in a bitter speech on Friday night he renewed calls for a no fly zone, telling Nato that "all the people who die from this day".
Putin's invasion has drawn condemnation and severe sanctions from Western nations balancing punishment of the Kremlin with fears of a hazardous escalation.
Moscow has seized two key cities in its 10-day-long invasion, Berdiansk and Kherson on Ukraine's southern coast along the Black Sea.
Peace talks are expected to continue - but Ukraine remains defiant as civilians prepare to fight back amid Russia's grinding advance.
Mariupol has been one of the most brutalised cities of war as the Russian have blockaded it and cut off food, water, heating and transport.
It has been compared to the Nazi blockade of Leningrad in World War 2.
And according to civilians fleeing Volnovakha - the other city granted a brief moment of peace in the ceasefire - the city has almost been totally destroyed.
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Disgraceful dictator Putin had denied bombing Ukrainian civilians despite overwhelming evidence showing the horrors of his invasion.
Children have been killed in his indiscriminate bombing campaigns which have allegedly used weapons such as cluster munitions and vacuum bombs.
In a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Russian tyrant insisted the information about bombing was fake.
The Kremlin later put out a statement saying "the alleged ongoing airstrikes of Kyiv and other large cities are gross propaganda fakes".
Delusional Putin said he was open to talks with Ukraine but only under the condition "all Russian demands are met".
The Kremlin later put out a statement saying "the alleged ongoing airstrikes of Kyiv and other large cities are gross propaganda fakes".
Vlad's bizarre denial comes as he claimed the war he unleashed has been a "success", despite the Russian army suffering heavy losses.
The reported temporary ceasefire in Ukraine is welcome but it is only a "small step", said the UK's economic secretary to the Treasury John Glen.
And this comes as a US official says Russia is getting ready to deploy 1,000 additional mercenaries to Ukraine in the near future.
Meanwhile, Russia this week took control of Europe's biggest power plant in Zaporizhzhia - after a battle that set the facility on fire.
Putin has received international condemnation for its actions, which could have triggered the biggest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
Russia has found its invasion blighted with logistical problems - with reports of tanks running out of fuel and soldiers running low on supplies.
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Putin is believed to have thought he could roll over Ukraine within just 48 hours - and his forces thought they would be met as heroes.
But instead, they have found themselves bogged down against a staunch resistance.
Putin is also becoming increasingly isolated in the world as Russia feels the crushing weight of Western sanctions.
Moscow however is believed to be growing frustrated - and it is feared Putin could resort to ever more brutal tactics as the war drags on.
Kyiv is believed to remain the prime objective for the Russians.
And a massive convoy of armoured vehicles has been lurking nearby apparently preparing for a protracted siege.
However, mystery surrounds the so-called "Convoy of Death" as it hasn't made any significant progress for days.
Russian forces are believed to be being increasingly demoralised, with captured troops seen crying for their mums.
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Ukraine despite its defiance is facing a humanitarian crisis with more than one million refugees fleeing the devastating war.
President Zelenskyy - who has remained in a bunker in Ukraine, dodging assassination attempts - has called for a face-to-face meeting with Putin to try and end the destruction.
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