The lethal aid of stinger missiles have been on display on social media, as a video purportedly shows the downing of a Mil Mi-24 Hind Russian attack helicopter near the Kyiv, Ukraine.
"Stark video of a Russian helicopter being shot down by Ukrainian forces," BBC's Yalda Hakim tweeted Saturday. "The pictures – showing a Russian MI-24 helicopter being struck by a surface to air missile – come from a Ukrainian government source. It's not clear where exactly in Ukraine the strike took place."
The video she shared shows a missile exploding the attack helicopter with precision, as it was flying low before becoming a fireball dropping to the ground.
Independent research and journalist group Bellingcat tweeted it has confirmed the location of the downed Russian helicopter near Kyiv, but Newsmax could not independently confirm the authenticity of video. There has been a battle of disinformation online amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
But, the Ukraine defense ministry did initially tweet the video with the message, as translated by Twitter:
"This is how the Russian occupiers are dying. This time in a helicopter! Glory to Ukraine and its defenders! Together to victory! 🇺🇦"
The video came on the day Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other members of the Ukrainian parliament met with U.S. lawmakers over Zoom, pleading for lethal weapons aid, including air defense systems, ammunition, and planes.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba has scolded NATO nations for refusing to invoke a no-fly zone over the war-torn country.
"I think it's a sign of weakness," Kuleba said. "It's the people of Ukraine who will pay the price for the reluctance of NATO to act."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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