![]() But our pilots do it.īEARDSLEY: These helicopter units played a role in keeping Kyiv's Hostomel airfield from being taken in the beginning of the war. VITALI: They made a lot of missions that some pilots from abroad just tell that it's impossible. The pilots have many tricks to compensate for the lack of technology, he says, though he can't disclose them. Vitali says the pilots get around the lack of modern anti-aircraft early warning systems by flying low to avoid Russian radar. Today, they'll attack Russian forces along the eastern front in Donbas. We must do our work because we want to live in the free country, and we want to live like a free people.īEARDSLEY: These Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters were used by the Soviet army in Afghanistan. VITALI: Every mission, it's very dangerous, but we don't have another choice. Vitali, who's not allowed to give his last name, is spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade that flies these aging choppers. There are flares stacked in racks behind. ![]() ![]() NPR's Eleanor Beardsley met a helicopter brigade that remains an inspirational force in Ukraine's war effort, despite its old aircraft.ĮLEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: As dawn breaks in eastern Ukraine, three Soviet-era helicopters sit shrouded in fog on a potholed tarmac at an undisclosed location in the middle of black, plowed fields.īEARDSLEY: A crew does last-minute checks on launcher pods loaded with dozens of slim, gray rockets. ![]() Some have arrived, but often, forces have to make do with Soviet-era equipment. Since war began, Ukraine has asked for modern weapons from the West. ![]()
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