In May, Ukraine received its first round of Russian-built Mi-17 helicopters as part of one of the United States federal government’s aid packages to Ukraine. Five Mi-15 helicopters were delivered to Ukraine in early May and came with a promise from the Pentagon that an additional 11 aircraft would be supplied in the coming weeks. The expected 11 Mi-17s were announced as part of the White House’s $800 million aid package in April.
The Russian-built helicopters can be used as both twin-turbine transport helicopters as well as an armed gunship. They were first purchased by the United States to assist the Afghan military, but after President Joe Biden ordered troops to withdraw from the country, the aircraft were reallocated to assist Ukraine in its effort to push back Russian invaders.
“We’re doing the best we can to make sure that Ukraine has the capabilities it needs in the moment, right now with the fighting in the Donbas in the south, to better defend their sovereignty,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said last month.
Photographs of those promised helicopters being removed from storage in the United States in preparation for delivery emerged this month.
Eleven Russian-Built Mi-17V-5 Helicopters On Their Way
Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a popular Twitter account that tracks the supply and use of weapons in Ukraine, shared four photographs of eleven helicopters being removed from storage after engineers prepared the aircraft to be sent to and used in Ukraine.
“No less than 11 shiny Mi-17V-5 Helicopters, ironically built by the Russian Kazan Helicopters Plant, can be seen removed from storage in the US prior to being sent to UA as part of US Aid,” a post reads.
The account, which is run by researchers Calibre Obscura and Armory Bazaar, added that some of the helicopters are likely to have arrived in Ukraine several weeks ago, with a total of 20 being supplied by the United States.
An additional four Mi-8 and Mi-7 helicopters are also on the way from European countries, including Slovakia.
More On the Mi-17V-5
The Mi-17V-5 is a military transport aircraft manufactured by Kazan Helicopters – a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters.
The helicopter was designed to transport cargo both inside of the cabin as well as on an external sling. It is considered one of the most modern and advanced transport helicopters in the world, and allows troops to conduct patrol, escort, and search and rescue missions.
Soviet-designed, the helicopter is still in use today and is commonly known by NATO as the “Hip.”
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
