Russian forces destroyed two helicopters in what they are calling a high-precision cluster bomb strike in eastern Ukraine.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, three Ukrainian helicopters were seen on a disguised airstrip in the eastern Donetsk area by Russian aerial surveillance. The precise location of the airfield was not disclosed.
The Russians posted a video of cluster bombs striking three Ukrainian helicopters, destroying two, was posted on its social media outlets.
A cluster munition is an explosive weapon that may be dropped from the air or fired from the ground and unleashes a shower of smaller submunitions. Cluster bombs, which often detonate explosive bomblets meant to kill people and damage vehicles, are the most common kind. They are specifically designed to demolish airport runways or power transmission cables.
According to intelligence experts, the video showing Ukrainian Mi-8 and Mi-17 delivery helicopters demonstrates that Russia has enhanced its intelligence surveillance since it began its full-scale invasion. Russia is now going after Ukraine’s support and supply equipment.
Both Ukraine and Russia have used cluster bombs in their attacks against vital assets, such as rotary-wing aircraft.
The US provided Ukraine with a cluster form of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which it used to launch a devastating strike on Russian helicopters in Ukrainian territory that was under Russian control in mid-October 2023.
Ukrainian special operations troops claimed at the time that they had annihilated nine Russian helicopters and equipment at two bases in the areas of Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia that had been taken. Estimates from open source information indicated that Ukraine could have destroyed as many as 21 Russian helicopters.
According to the U.S. Defense Department’s announcement, a $300 million military assistance package, including extra cluster rounds, will be sent to Ukraine.
In July 2023, the Biden administration promised Ukraine better conventional weapons with dual purposes. Controversial, despite being an efficient weapon, they spread submunitions over a large area, posing a threat to innocent bystanders.
