Russia has said claimed it has destroyed a Ukrainian stronghold in Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region of north-eastern Ukraine using Mi-35M attack helicopters.

The footage shows a Russian pilot inspecting a combat helicopter before climbing into the cockpit and taking to the sky. The helicopter can then be seen flying low over countryside before firing a salvo of rockets at unseen targets.

The aircraft then takes a base of action before apparently coming in to land back at base as the footage ends.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence on Tuesday, October 10, along with a statement saying: 'The crews of the Mi-35M transport and combat helicopters of the Central Military District (CMD) during combat missions destroyed an enemy stronghold in the Krasnolimansk direction in the zone of the special military operation (SVO).

'As part of mixed pairs, helicopter pilots at a speed of more than 200 kph and at an altitude of no more than 20 m above the ground approached the distance required to shoot at the target. To engage manpower and destroy an enemy stronghold, the pilots used unguided 80-mm S-8 aircraft missiles, the launches of which were carried out using a pitching technique to set the required launch angle for the missiles.

'After which the helicopter crews performed a counter-fire manoeuvre with the shooting of special heat traps and returned to the home airfield.

'The round-the-clock readiness of combat vehicles is ensured by engineering and technical personnel who check instrument readings and the condition of components and assemblies after each flight.

'The command of the Central Military District notes the high efficiency of the crews of Mi-35M helicopters, which successfully completed hundreds of combat missions during a special military operation.'

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a 'special military operation'.