Newly released footage showed a Ukrainian military gunship helicopter shooting down a Shahed kamikaze drone launched by Russian forces.
Knewz.com has learned that the military helicopter used to shoot the drone out of the sky was identified as a Mi-8 aircraft.
The video clip, which was shared on Telegram on August 25, showed the gunship helicopter chasing the Iranian-made UAV through the skies of Ukraine.
Upon getting a clear line of sight, a machine gun operator fired upon the Russia-launched kamikaze drone through the side door of the helicopter using what seemed to be a PKT 7.62 x 54mm belt-fed general purpose machine gun.
The drone could be seen immediately emitting a trail of smoke, and after around eight seconds, it began to rapidly lose altitude.
The footage also showed the drone erupting in an explosive crash upon impact.
The aftermath of the stack showed a cloud of smoke rising into the air from the fallen kamikaze drone.
Another video clip showed a similar Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter equipped with a nose-mounted PKT 7.62 x 54mm machine gun shooting down another Shahed UAV launched by Russia.
The second footage, which was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the machine gun operator crouched over the weapon as the Ukrainian helicopter gained on the drone.
Once within range, the machine gunner opened fire on the Shahed kamikaze drone in several long bursts until the target was hit.
In the footage, the cockpit of the military helicopter could be seen filling with smoke as the machine gun operator kept relentlessly firing upon his target.
The kamikaze drone exploded under heavy fire mid-air and helplessly plummeted towards the ground.
Neither of the video clips included any details about the date or location of the attack.
While other variants of the Mi-8 gunship helicopter are used by Russia as well, the machine gunner operating the weapon could be seen wearing what seemed to be a United States-supplied Gentex HGU-56/P aircrew ballistic helmet (ABH) system, which proves that the video is showcasing a Ukrainian operation.
The Ukrainian news outlet Kyiv Postwrote that the video clips "confirm reports made by Ukraine’s air force command in late July that helicopters have been deployed to intercept and destroy Russian long-range Shahed-136 kamikaze drones."
It has been reported that the Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drones are Putin's go-to airstrike weapon, in addition to the stockpile of ballistic missiles in his arsenal.
On August 26, Russia launched a massive airstrike on Ukraine – deemed the biggest one launched by Putin in weeks – using 200 kamikaze drones and missiles.
The attack reportedly left around seven people dead and injured 50 others, according to preliminary estimates.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared a statement on Telegram regarding the airstrike, calling it a "dastardly attack" and labeling Putin a "sick creature."
"It was one of the biggest strikes, combining more than a hundred rockets of various types and about a hundred [Shahed drones]," Zelensky said in his social media statement at the time.
Zelensky also noted that the attack caused a "lot of damage in [the energy infrastructure]."
The attack reportedly caused significant damage to the hydroelectric power plant (HPP) in Vyshgorod, north of the capital city of Kyiv.
However, reports have also mentioned that NATO-donated F-16s managed to thwart at least five cruise missiles and 60 drones amidst heavy bombardment, as the fighter jets took to the Ukrainian skies for the first time since the beginning of the war.