Anatoliy points to the few reinforced panels inside one of Ukraine’s Mi-8 helicopters where he spends five-week shifts firing rockets at Russian positions.
“This is a joke, not armour,” says the 39-year-old gunner, who has taken part in some 300 combat missions since last spring.
As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushes Western allies for modern weapons, pilots in eastern Ukraine admit their ancient Soviet-made helicopters are outplayed technologically by Russia.
Anatoliy’s Mi-8 helicopter was built in 1986 in the USSR. Primarily a transport helicopter, it is deployed by Ukraine on battle missions despite its lack of armour.
