Russia gains temporary advantage on Ukraine’s south with its attack helicopters – UK intelligence

Russian troops have temporarily gained air superiority in the Ukrainian south, as additional attack helicopters have been deployed there since the start of Ukraine's counteroffensive.

Satellite images indicate the deployment of more than 20 additional Russian attack helicopters at  Berdiansk airport, UK intelligence reports. 

In the constant contest between aviation measures and counter-measures, it is likely that Russia has gained a temporary advantage in southern Ukraine, especially with attack helicopters employing longer-range missiles against ground targets, the UK MoD stated.

The British Ministry of Defense has already reported on the increase in the number of combat sorties by Russian tactical aircraft, especially over the southern part of Ukraine, which has already been observed for the past two weeks. Probably, this is a response to the counteroffensive of Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainian troops have already destroyed more than 300 military helicopters since the beginning of the full-scale war.

Only in the past week, Ukrainian soldiers downed three helicopters. The Russian Ka-52 "Alligator," shot down on June 12, became the 301st one.

Earlier, UK Defence Intelligence reported that Russian Major General Sergei Goryachev was almost undoubtedly killed in an attack on a command post on or about 12 June in Ukraine's south.