Ukraine’s Mi-8 helicopter gunships have become a symbol of the country’s fight against Russian forces in the long-running battle for Bakhmut. Consisting of three Mi-8s and one Mi-24, the gunships take off from a secret base in Ukraine and fly at low altitude towards their target.
The pilots are trained to fly as low as possible in order to avoid detection by Russian radar, and the Mi-8s are equipped with 30 rockets that can be launched from a distance of 6,100 metres. The helicopters then bank sharply and return to base, skimming the ground.
The Mi-8s are flown by pilots such as Petro, who is just 23 but has already flown around 50 combat missions. Petro explains that the toughest mission he has undertaken was against a convoy of military vehicles heading for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. On that mission, two of the four helicopters were destroyed and only two pilots made it back to base.
The out-of-date weapons system is neither guided nor equipped with targeting, meaning it is accurate only to within 100-200 metres. To improve accuracy, infantry units on the frontline are informed of the time of the attack and then send up a drone to check the result. If the target has not been hit, the pilots can adjust the coordinates and launch another attack.
The Mi-8s have become a symbol of Ukrainian resilience, with videos of their missions shared widely on social media. But Petro is quick to point out that the soldiers on the ground suffer more than the pilots, and that they are the ones who deserve the most praise.
Despite the risks they face, Petro and his fellow pilots are determined to keep fighting for their country. Petro says that when he sees the soldiers on the ground supporting them, he knows exactly why he is there.
