Ukrainian Forces Shoot Down Russian Helicopter (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A footage was posted on social media showing the shocking moment a Russian helicopter appears to go down in flames as it is downed in Ukraine.
Footage from the frontlines seems to show the aircraft soaring before it is targeted by Ukrainian weapons.
In the clip, it can then be seen lighting up in flames as it pummels down, exploding in a fireball as it reaches the ground.
The video has been widely shared on social media. Although it is unclear how the footage was captured, some on Twitter have suggested the clip was taken by a drone.
It is not clear when or where the video was filmed.
The video was also shared by Kiev Independent reporter Illia Ponomarenko, and now has more than 21,000 likes.
It appears the original video was shared by a Kiev resident on Facebook.
A translation of the caption, in Ukrainian, seems to say the country's forces 'shot down a Russian combat helicopter' as 'aerial reconnaissance shares an operational video'.
Users on social media have also speculated the helicopter is a Mil Mi-24 Hind gunship, which was in use by Soviet forces from 1972.
The model was often referred to as the 'flying tank' by Soviet pilots.
It was famously featured in Cold War-era flicks Rambo 2 and Rambo 3, although in both films, the aircrafts were Aérospatiale Pumas mocked-up to look like the real deal.
