Russia claims shooting down Ukrainian helicopter

By Dmitri Chirciu

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Thursday claimed that it shot down a Mi-24 military helicopter belonging to the Ukrainian army near the Dnipro region of Ukraine.

In a statement on the Russian-Ukraine war, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that the Russian forces continue their attacks on the military elements in Ukraine and that 50% of the soldiers of the 14th and 66th mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian armed forces were neutralized.

He said that 20 brigade and battalion command posts and 8 ammunition depots were hit, adding that 1 S-300 anti-aircraft missile system locator near Kramatorsk was also destroyed.

The spokesman said that 7 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were also destroyed over the last 24 hours.

"To date, 267 aircraft, 146 helicopters, 1,727 unmanned aerial vehicles, 365 anti-aircraft missile systems, 4,287 tanks and armored vehicles, 797 multiple launch rocket systems, 3,290 field artillery and mortars, as well as 4,820 special military vehicles were destroyed in Ukraine," he added.

At least 5,401 civilians have been killed and 7,466 injured since the war began on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is believed to be much higher.

Nearly 10.6 million people have fled to other countries, while some 7 million have been internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.​​​​​​​