Ukrainian Troops Shoot Down $15 Million Enemy Helicopter With $100 Missile System

Ukrainian troops have celebrated downing a $15 million Russian Ka-52 helicopter by using an air defence missile system worth a fraction of the cost.

According to Ukrinform, the Ukrainian military unit Operational Command 'East' took to their Facebook to detail the helicopter crash that occurred in the Kharkiv region.

An officer named Yaroslav said: “At night, enemy helicopters went very low. They circled over our positions, not even allowing us to raise our heads. 

“And an anti-aircraft gunner fired two missiles on them. One, however, hit a heat trap, and the other shot down a Ka-53. It fell… It was a pity to spend a ‘Stinger’ on them, so the Russian Ka-52 was hit with the ordinary ‘Igla’.”

The post claims the military unit used an ‘Igla’, a portable surface-to-air missing (SAM) system that was developed by the Soviet Union, and only costs $100. 

The post joked that using a ‘Stinger’, worth approximately $120,000, would have been a waste.

It read: “We joke among ourselves that we shot down a Russian screwdriver approximately $15 million worth of weapons for 100 bucks paid for by the Soviet Union."

The post also depicted images of the crash site with a drone, as they couldn’t get closer to the area due to enemy positioning. 

The news comes following pictures emerging of Ukrainian forces destroying a convoy of Russian military vehicles after booby-trapping a bridge.

The fleet of vehicles was heading along a main route from Kharkiv to Izyum.

Once Ukraine became aware of where the convoy was heading, Ukrainian special forces leapt ahead of them and set up a cunning plan.

They planted bombs underneath a key bridge and along the road. The explosives were detonated once the vehicles were directly above and the plan was executed perfectly.

Ukrainian troops pounced on the area following the detonation to neutralise the Russian soldiers inside the convoy.

According to the Kyiv Independent, the General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian defenders have eliminated approximately 20,300 Russian invaders up until April 17.

Additionally, 165 planes, 146 helicopters, 773 tanks, 2,002 armoured personnel carriers, and 1,471 vehicles have been destroyed since the invasion began.

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Jason Jones. Facebook/Operational Command "East"

Topics: Ukraine, Russia, Technology

Jayden Collins

Jayden Collins is a Journalist at LADbible. He has worked across multiple media platforms in areas such as sport, music, pop culture, entertainment and politics. He is part of the editorial team for LADbible Australia.