Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 7, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s Tavria group fighting on the southeastern front lines, said on Feb. 8.

“The enemy’s Alligator with its crew was hit by a portable anti-aircraft missile complex and fertilized the soil in the Avdiivka direction,” Tarnavskyi said on Telegram.

The Ka-52 Alligator is an updated twin-seat variant of Russia’s Ka-50 attack helicopter designed to destroy enemy armored and unarmored ground targets, tanks, low-speed aerial targets, and personnel, according to the Airforce Technology website.

Russia has lost over 300 combat helicopters since the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Feb. 8.

The Tavria group of Ukraine’s military is fighting in some of the hottest spots on the front, including the ongoing battle for Avdiivka.

Russian forces are now concentrating their offensive operations near Novopavlivka and Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast, according to Tarnavskyi.

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