One of Russia’s helicopters is blasted out of the sky as hopes grow that its invasion of Ukraine is faltering.
Footage of the chopper being downed in a field by a surface-to-air missile emerged amid claims Vladimir Putin has lost around 10,000 men in just 10 days.
Former British Army chief General Lord Dannatt told the Sunday Mirror he fears the dictator could turn to nuclear weapons in an attempt to turn the tide.
The terrifying warning came after Ukrainians posted a clip online showing the chopper – believed to be an MI-24 Hind Gunship – being shot down in flames by their forces.
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It crashed to the ground before exploding in a fireball. A caption on the footage said: “Glory to Ukraine.”
Earlier, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky defiantly declared his forces were killing up to 1,000 Russian soldiers a day.
The death toll is a devastating blow for Russia, which has more than 900,000 active personnel.
By comparison, the Soviet Union lost around 14,000 soldiers in Afghanistan in 10 years – and that conflict helped fuel the collapse of the communist state.
Ukraine, which is thought to have lost around 3,000 troops, also claims hundreds of Russian tanks, armoured vehicles, helicopters and fighter aircraft have been destroyed.
Sources said the Kremlin was “demoralised” by the losses and the additional 30,000 wounded.
Those killed include Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, 47, who was shot by a sniper trained just days earlier by the SAS.
Two other senior Russian officers – one divisional and one regimental commander – have also perished.
Many of the Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine are believed to be just 18 and poorly trained.
POWs have been seen telling their captors they had no idea they were being sent into battle and claimed they thought they were on exercises.
Bullying and the abuse of young recruits is also rife in the Russian forces.
One source said: “Life for young recruits in the Russian Army is brutal. It is little wonder why so many soldiers are surrendering.”
Gen Dannatt told how the Russian generals’ inability to mount a major all-arms operation had been “woefully exposed”.
He said: “Moreover, their battlefield leadership has been appalling.
“The absence of clearly explained reasons for the operation to their troops has been verging on criminal – asking young men to risk and lose their lives without knowing why.
“Conscripts believed they were going into Ukraine as liberators and peacekeepers and were shocked to find themselves opposed. The true Russian casualty figure will be very high, and probably never known.
“To compound things, it would appear officers have been abandoning their soldiers – trapped in their vehicles on the huge northern convoy – in order to save their own skins. This is a moral and military failure of the highest order.” Gen Dannatt said he believed the war would become a stalemate, but expected Putin’s army to advance further in the coming weeks.
He said: “The Russians will start to make some progress as a result of their superior air and fire power. The big battalions usually win.
“However, this could all take time and time is not on Putin’s side as sanctions and international isolation begin to bite. There must be a negotiated settlement, but who will facilitate that? Putin hates the West, but he fears China.
“The US should be using deniable back channels to talk to the Chinese to persuade them to put an arm around Putin and guide him to the conference table – a ceasefire first, then discussions about Ukraine’s future status, probably a form of neutrality akin to Austria.”
Gen Dannatt warned Putin could fire a tactical or battlefield nuclear weapon to topple Kyiv.
He said: “The Russians might consider using a tactical nuclear weapon to break a deadlock – north of Kyiv to gain entry, perhaps. A nightmare scenario.”
Last week, Putin announced he had placed his nuclear forces on “high alert” and battles that raged around the remains of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant raised fears of potential nuclear fallout.
On Friday, Russian troops were accused of risking a catastrophe after a missile strike at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant caused a fire in an outbuilding.
Putin’s forces have progressed in south and east Ukraine, but an armoured convoy more than 30 miles long is stuck north of Kyiv.
Gen Dannatt said the failure to attack the capital so far suggested Russian chiefs were hoping to “envelop” the city from the south.
However, it is thought the convoy’s problems may be hampering plans. Many of the vehicles are believed to have run out of fuel or be stuck in mud and the soldiers are looting local homes for food.
Defence sources say Ukrainian ambushes, the destruction of bridges and poor planning have all had an impact.
The unfolding horror has forced more than 1million people to flee Ukraine, but the country’s State Border Guard Service said 80,000 men had returned from overseas to fight. Foreign volunteers – including Brits – have also signed up while thousands of Russians are said to have fled to Finland to avoid being conscripted.
