This slick Russian propaganda video shows an attack helicopter being armed to the teeth before it flies into the night to blow up Ukrainian armoured vehicles.

Newsflash obtained the footage from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Russian Federation earlier today (Thursday, 5th May).

The Russian MoD said the video showed the “work of the Ka-52 on the armoured vehicles of the enemy at night”.

The Kamov Ka-52 ‘Alligator’ is manufactured by JSC Kamov, which is based in Lyubertsy, Russia. It is used by Egypt and Russia, and China reportedly has some on order.

Russian troops invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is now calling a “special military operation” to “protect Donbass”. The invasion is now in its 71st day.

From 24th February to 4th May, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at around 24,500 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military also claims that Russia has lost 1,077 battle tanks, 2,610 combat armoured vehicles, 491 artillery systems, 163 MLR systems, 81 anti-aircraft systems, 194 warplanes, 155 helicopters, 1,867 vehicles, 10 vessels, 76 fuel tank trucks, 303 operational-tactical level UAVs, 38 units of special equipment, and 87 cruise missiles have been shot down.

The video was posted as Russian troops continue their attempts to finally gain control of the besieged city of Mariupol after the evacuation of some 300 civilians in a joint UN-Red Cross operation.

A Ukrainian commander fighting inside the combat zone from the Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant described the fighting as “difficult” and “bloody”.

The bitter fighting which is now moved to a focus on the east of the country comes as Belarus which is Ukraine’s neighbour began large-scale military drills and apparent exercises to test their combat readiness.

The defence ministry in the UK had earlier warned that Russia was possibly hoping to provoke Ukraine into putting much-needed military resources on the Belarusian border over concerns that there might be fighting opening up on a new front.

At the moment the fighting in the East saw Russia claiming to have destroyed six railway stations which they said were being used to bring Western military aid including weapons to the region.

The severe fighting in the country has prompted the European Union to unveil plans for the tougher sanctions so far which include among other things an oil embargo to be slowly phased in.