New video: Russian gunships cross the Strait of Kerch at low level during first phase of Crimea invasion

March 4, 2014 Helicopters, Russia, Troubled Areas
David Cenciotti

Russian Mil Mi-24 Hind gunships entered the Ukrainian airspace flying at ultra-low level over the sea.

A new video taken on Feb. 28, during the opening phase of the Russian invasion of Crimea, shows Putin’s chopper armada crossing the Strait of Kerch at very low level, almost undetectable by Ukrainian Air Defense.

The Mi-24 and accompanying Mi-8/17 Hip helicopters were pivotal to the small scale “blitzkrieg” that enabled the Russian forces to occupy Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula and control some of its key installations, including Belbek airport.

 



H/T to Giuliano Ranieri for sending the link.

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About David Cenciotti 4451 Articles
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David Cenciotti is a freelance journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written four books.

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2 Comments

  2. One question … in this and other vids showing russian choppers invading all the Mi-24 (or whatever variant) have the gear down … Is there a reason for this ?

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