DOWN IN FLAMES
Incredible moment Ukraine blast Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter out of the sky sending it crashing to earth in fireball
THIS is the incredible moment Ukraine annihilated a Russian attack helicopter.
Vladimir Putin's prized Ka-52 Alligator chopper was sent crashing to the ground in a smoking fireball.
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Gripping footage shows the helicopter being blasted out of the sky over Robotyne.
It shows the chopper being struck before it plummets to the ground.
A huge ball of fire then erupts - sending a giant plume of black smoke into the air.
Ukraine's defence ministry also claimed to have downed a second Ka-52 on Thursday morning near Bakhmut.
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The Ka-52s Helicopters had caused a lot of problems for Ukraine in the early days of the counter-offensive.
Ukraine claims to have shot a lot more down, suggesting they are finding ways to get air defence weapons forward.
Putin calls his beloved Ka-52s the "world's best helicopter gunship" - with each costing more than £12million.
It is claimed Russia started the invasion with around 100 of them - but are now down to just 25, reports .
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Nico Lange, a Ukraine expert at the Munich Security Conference, said Kyiv's forces are picking off Russian weapons like the Ka-52 choppers "piece by piece".
The UK's defence ministry previously said the attacked helicopter had given Moscow a strong advantage in Ukraine.
It comes after a British-made missile blasted another Russian helicopter.
One of Putin's top commanders onboard the Ka-52 was killed when the aircraft plummeted in Ukraine, defence sources claimed.
A picture released by Ukraine’s Marines confirmed the strike and showed the wreckage on the ground in frontline eastern Donbas.
The deadly Ka-52 Alligator was hit near Donetsk by Ukraine’s 38th Marines last month, Kyiv said.
A senior Russian commander was lost in the strike along with another officer, it was reported.
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