Russia loses 5 Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters in as many days
Russia is attempting to suppress the Ukrainian counter-offensive using Ka-52 attack helicopters, but it has lost five in as many days, military expert and Israeli Defense Forces officer Yigal Levin said to Radio NV on June 22.
"The attacker always holds the initiative,” Levin explained.
“That's why, by the way, they are focusing their efforts on an assault operation in the northern part of the frontline, somewhere around Kreminna. They also employ helicopters to launch attacks against us and hinder Ukrainian troops.”
According to open-source intelligence from Dutch OSINT organization Oryx, the loss ratio between Russia and Ukraine is roughly equal.
Read also: Ukraine down its 300th Russian helicopter, reports General Staff
"The occupiers sometimes suffer more losses than Ukraine, which appears to be an anomaly," the organization reported.
Levin explained that according to military theory, an attacker usually incurs triple the losses of the defender. However, Ukraine has an advantage as it relies on high-precision weapons to detect and eliminate enemy targets.
"The Russian troops are attempting to counterbalance this disparity with their high-tech weaponry,” Levin stated.
“The Ka-52 helicopters are the high-tech weapons they possess. They had held them back as a reserve in case of a Ukrainian counter-offensive, and their usage was very limited.”
One Ka-52 Alligator was downed on June 16, two more the following day, and another one on June 17. The fifth Ka-52 helicopter was intercepted at approximately 11 pm near the city of Donetsk on June 19.
As of June 22, Russia has lost a total of 307 helicopters and 314 warplanes since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Read also:
Ukrainian defenders down Russian Mi-24 helicopter, 6 drones, hit artillery unit
Ukraine downs Russian Mi-24 helicopter and nine drones in the past day
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