Combat use of the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter was caught on camera for the first time. Unique footage appeared on YouTube directly after the battle for the Syrian town of al-Qaryatayn, which was liberated from Daesh militants - Arabic name for ISIS (banned in Russian Federation).
The video clearly shows the Ka-52 engaging positions of the terrorists on the ground. Apparently, unguided S-8 80mm and S-13 122mm rockets were fired.
The Ka-52 is a further development of Ka-50 "Black Shark". It's an assault helicopter that is able to attack almost all types of armored air and ground equipment of the enemy. This aircraft is legendary for the Hollywood directors; it appeared in movies like "Charlie's Angels: full throttle" and "Hitman: Agent 47".
Please note that on March 31st, the official channel of the Russian Ministry of Defense posted another video of the Russian helicopter Mi-28N on YouTube.
A senior Israeli officer in the 8200 intelligence unit confirmed, "a few months ago, Hezbollah intentionally aimed its newly acquired anti-air system at a jet flying over Lebanon at medium altitude. This shows that Hezbollah has obtained medium range anti-air missiles, which pose a direct threat to Israeli helicopters, drones, and also to fighter jets when flying at low or medium altitude. The signal was picked up through the advanced radar and detection systems installed onboard, informing the pilot of a laser pointed missile that could cause a potential threat. The aim was to convey to us what kind of menace we could be facing in the upcoming war.” “Hezbollah is used to conveying messages in a way that we understand. When it is exposing, intentionally, long range missiles for our drones to film, it is a way to inform us that (Hezbollah Secretary general Hassan) Nasrallah is ready to translate his threat to hit our facilities and make our lives difficult when the time comes. Basically, Hezbollah doesn't want a war and is saying to us: let us avoid it because we are going to hurt each other," the source said. The Israeli intelligence officer referenced Nasrallah's latest interview with the Lebanese television station Al-Mayadeen, where the leader of Hezbollah said he was looking for an anti-aircraft missile to stop the regular reconnaissance flights over Lebanon. “This is the same tactic used by Iran. When Tehran says is it working on producing a certain kind of weapon, in reality, the armament is already being produced and exported to allies. Therefore, when Nasrallah says he is thinking of bringing in such weapons, it could strongly mean it is already in his stockpile. He showed it to us already, in his own way.” Another Israeli senior officer in the “AMAN” intelligence agency (Military intelligence) confirmed “Hezbollah is a highly organised guerrilla warfare group that learns from past experiences in order to develop its capabilities. This happens with the aid of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) experts who provide enhancements to the group's capabilities, and new weapons and expertise to face the Israelis. Iran knows what to provide for a small and mobile force to face a classical army like Israel. In 2006, Hezbollah managed to down a YASUR CH-35 helicopter. Further more, and most importantly, the hit to the Sa’er-5 vessel neutralised the naval force, causing the loss of one of our four military arms. It was indeed an intelligence failure where we couldn’t have known about Hezbollah’s capability before the war. We have posed to ourselves the possibility that Hezbollah could envisage developing its arsenal to face our Air Force by acquiring anti-air systems to use in the next war.” According to the source who seeks anonymity, “since 2007, we have been registering an increase in reports related to shipments from Iran to Lebanon, via Syria, through Damascus airport and by sea through the Syrian coast. All indications lead to the fact that Hezbollah have acquired anti-aircraft weapons. This has also been hinted by Nasrallah in his latest television interview in a way he seemingly enjoys doing, sending mixed messages and waging his own psychological war upon us”. “It is clear to our intelligence services what kind of weapons Iran possesses. As a result, it is not difficult to speculate on what Hezbollah can have and could use and deploy in a short time during a war in order to avoid being hit, especially since Israel would de-facto control Lebanon’s air space. Therefore, it is only natural that such a possibility exists in our plans before engaging in the next war.” On when a war could possibly happen, the source said: “A war between Hezbollah and Israel would not be ignited tomorrow. Hezbollah is busy in Syria, and we don’t plan a war any time soon. This gives both sides the time to plan for a future confrontation. We threaten Hezbollah but so does Nasrallah, who lately, has decided to use remove the gloves as he usually does. He pointed to the Ammonia factory in Haifa and other facilities he already attempted to hit but missed in 2006. Today, he is in possession of the Syrian version M-600 and Al-Fateh missiles, which are both long range and accurate missiles. These ballistic missiles need launch pads and have specific trajectories. We have developed anti-ballistic missiles that are able to deal with Hezbollah’s newly acquired weaponry. We have been working to prepare a list of targets that would enable us to destroy these missiles before the launch.” “What Hezbollah didn’t reveal is the fact that, in 2006, in the first week of the war, our intelligence was able to provide a rich bank of objectives to the Air Force, destroying Hezbollah’s main missile units. Hezbollah continue launching rockets because Syria has provided the group with a rich warehouse. We are also aware that Hezbollah have upgraded its military structure creating many missile units to avoid total destruction. We also are adapting to the changes, preparing for the next confrontation. Don’t let anyone think that we are asleep or unaware of the changes. The battle between the two intelligence services never stops”. Haaretz Foreign Editor Asaf Ronel said: “It is common knowledge that Hezbollah has a large missile capability. Hezbollah is bragging about its newly acquired weaponry. I think it is trying to tell us we have to think twice before moving against it in the future. Hezbollah is also using drones; I believe Israel has the technology to deal with the threat that drones might pose. It won’t seal the air space fully, but enough to diminish any menace to Israel. Moreover, Israel is regularly bombing shipments for Hezbollah, including advanced air defense systems. It's only common sense to assume Israel can't intercept all shipments, and, if Hezbollah doesn't have these kind of systems already, it will in the future. This should also be the working hypothesis of the IAF. It will probably limit its operations over Lebanese, but I don't think it'll stop the fly-overs. Even though Hezbollah is building what ever in Israel is seen as a fully operational army, its main advantage against IDF remains in asymmetrical warfare. It's not certain how the new technologies Hezbollah is acquiring is helping it in this field. Nevertheless, in open warfare, Hezbollah doesn’t have a chance to compete with Israeli technological advantage,” he concluded. Haaretz’s correspondent Amos Harel, wrote “Hezbollah is identified as the side that appears to have the upper hand in the war in Syria. The close work with Iranian commanders and, recently, to a lesser extent, with Russian officers as well, has upgraded Hezbollah’s fighting capability. Hezbollah has accumulated very valuable experience in difficult battles, engaging in a wide range of operations including joint actions with airplanes, helicopters, drone, artillery, tanks, and advanced intelligence capabilities. Today, Hezbollah has 45,000 fighters, including 21,000 standing forces, and more than 100,000 increasingly accurate rockets and missiles of which several thousands are mid and long range. Israel’s military now sees Hezbollah as an army in every sense.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his speech at the UN General Assembly last October that it can be inferred that Hezbollah has succeeded in smuggling advanced weapons systems from Syria into Lebanon, including accurate surface-to-surface missiles, SA-22-anti aircraft missiles, and Yakhont anti-ship cruise missiles (Al Rai reported this information two years ago).
The Baku Declaration on the suspension of military operations in Nagorno Karabakh is not true and is an information trap, according to the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia - Artsrun Hovhannisyan.
"The Azerbaijani statement is an information trap that does not mean a unilateral ceasefire," said the journalist on his page on "Facebook".
He also said that the Ministry of Defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic will make an official statement on the matter.
Previously, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan said it would unilaterally stop all military operations in Karabakh.
As a reminder, on April 2nd the representatives of the unrecognized NKR, the Armenian Defense Ministry, as well as Azerbaijani security officials, reported the deteriorating security situation in the Karabakh conflict zone. Shelling and clashes were reported.
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin expressed his concern about the resumption of hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh. He urged the parties to the conflict to start a ceasefire.
April 2, 2016 Kommersant Translated by Kristina Kharlova “Kommersant” observer Maxim Yushin — on causes of the new escalation in the Karabakh conflict zone Judging by the statements coming from Yerevan, Baku and Stepanakert, you might think that a big war has already broke out in the region. But "offensive across the entire line of contact" reported in the last hours, looks quite different. In fact, we observe local skirmishes, albeit very intense, and battles of local importance that are unlikely to result in anything more serious. None of the parties are now ready to start a big war. With the Armenian side it is clear — it will not launch it by definition. War may only be started by the party which lost in the previous war, and the 1992-94 conflict ended with the victory of Armenians. Today, they control not only almost the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, but also (fully or partially) the seven districts of Azerbaijan. There is no reason for Armenians to capture anything else, their interest is to maintain the status quo. Another thing is Azerbaijan. The return of the "occupied territories" — is a national idea, goal, dream. That in case of the failure of peace talks Baku will be ready to force the return of Aghdam, Fuzuli, Lachin and Stepanakert, officials and president Aliev periodically remind the fellow citizens and international community. One of the most reliable ways to make the world remember Karabakh conflict, not to allow to completely freeze it, is to maintain tension on the contact line. Thus it has been long noticed — the situation in Karabakh and around it often intensifies on the eve of important international negotiations. And they are coming next week — on April 7 the foreign minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov is flying to Baku. At the official level, the rhetoric of Azerbaijani authorities is very aggressive. When I was recently in Baku, not a single person missed a chance to tell me that Azerbaijan's military budget exceeds the entire budget of Armenia. Thanks to petrodollars Baku can really afford to spend much more on the needs of the armed forces than Yerevan. And today the Azerbaijani army is very different from that which was defeated by Armenians twenty years ago. But, as I was told by Russian and Western sources familiar with the situation, deep inside Azerbaijani politicians and military continue to fear a potential enemy and want to avoid a serious clash. Too strong is the shock from the defeats of the 1990-ies. And by and large, there can be no assurance that in the event of a new war — real, not demonstrative — Baku will be able to win. Despite the modernization of the army in recent years, there is a parity between the armament of the Azerbaijani and Armenian forces (if you combine forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia itself). Besides, Armenia is Russia's ally, is included in the CSTO, i.e. in case of attack on its territory (outside Nagorno-Karabakh) theoretically there is a risk of Moscow getting involved in the conflict. And Baku knows it. As they understand, that if a full-scale war breaks out, all the relative well-being, which the authorities have achieved in the last decade — before oil prices plunged, followed by the collapse of the national currency — manat, will be under threat. Social problems in Azerbaijan had exacerbated in recent years, but nowhere close to how they will deepen if the country is drawn into conflict with Armenia, during which it is impossible to exclude strikes on oil fields, pipelines, and other industrial facilities. Being a pragmatist, Ilham Aliyev does not want to risk the current stability for the sake of war with unpredictable outcome. But public opinion (especially media, as well as part of the Azerbaijani elite) today is very determined, if not revanchist. The authorities have to consider this fact. And occasionally mimic activity at the fronts, so the people don't get the impression that the president accepted defeat and the loss of the "occupied lands". In other words, stabilization in the conflict zone cannot be expected in the foreseeable future . The war will be periodically simulated. And it's bad news. But there is good news: imitation of war is still not a war. *** KK: Russia has been very careful not to take sides in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in order not to upset the delicate balance, seeking closer relations with both countries and maintaining peace in the Caucasus, however Turkey and USA had professed their support for Azerbaijan, which may provide it with too much dangerous confidence. Incidentally, Azerbaijani president was visiting Washington during the break out of the new round of hostilities.
On Saturday, Armenia and Azerbaijan declared the worsening of the situation in the zone of the Karabakh conflict: the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, in particular, spoke about the attacks by the Armenian armed forces, and the Armenian Defense Ministry reported "offensive action" from the Azerbaijani side. There are reported casualties on both sides.
Previously, Press Secretary of the Armenian Defense Minister Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that a Mi-24/35 helicopter of the armed forces of Azerbaijan was shot down to the East of the Mrav mountain in Karabakh. Thus, the press-service of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan stated that the information about the downed helicopter was not true.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is deeply concerned about the reports of renewed hostilities on the line of contact in Nagorno Karabakh, and called for an immediate ceasefire involving the parties to the conflict, and for them to exercise restraint in order to avoid further casualties, said press Secretary of the head of state Dmitry Peskov on Saturday. Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that Russia has begun consultations with partners — the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group.
The government in Yerevan is a discerner of the military forces of Armenia and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku believes that all the divisions of the Armenian party are included in the Armenian armed forces, since it did not recognize the NKR. Baku and Yerevan are constantly accusing each other of shelling.
Briefing by Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Sergei Rudskoy
Implementation of measures aimed at ceasing fire in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic has been continued since February 27, 2016 within the bilateral joint Russian-American agreement.
Despite rear ceasefire violations, combat actions in most territories of the Homs, Hama and Aleppo provinces have been finished. Such situation allowed civilians to return to their houses.
Owing to truce agreement signed with opposition armed formations, the government troops intensified fighting against ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist groupings.
Formations and units of the Syrian Armed Forces as well as militia detachments and formations of the patriotic opposition have been regrouped since the early March for conducting offensive on ISIS terrorist groupings near Tadmur (Palmyra, Homs province).
Before the occupation in May 2015 by ISIS Tadmur had been a tourist and trade center of Syria and presented an important trade and transport junction as well as that of oil and gas pipelines. To the south-west from the city there are ruins of antique Palmyra, which is the historical and cultural heritage of humanity.
The liberation of Palmyra was of strategic importance due to its location in the central part of Syria with a developed road system to all country regions: Damascus, Homs, Hama, Aleppo, al-Raqqah, Deir ez-Zor as well as to oil and gas fields (Jazal and Shaar) and to other fields of natural resources in neighboring areas.
By March, illegal armed groups have concentrated near Palmyra more than 4000 fighters, at least 25 tanks and MICVs, more than 20 units of bombardment and rocket artillery, more than 40 mortars, about 100 antitank guided missile systems and more than 50 cross-country vehicles with mounted heavy armament. Moreover, terrorists possessed more than 10 trucks rigged with explosives controlled by suicide bombers as well as UAVs.
ISIS terrorists installed the system of obstacles around Tadmur, which includes several levels of defence as well as defensive posts, firing points equipped on the heights, and control centres.
Russian servicemen and military councilors took direct part in planning the military operation in Palmyra.
After the task force had been formed, the Syrian troops supported by Russian Aerospace Forces started offensive operation on operational direction “Palmyra” on March 6. In course of the first stage of the operation main transportation routes around Tadmur have been blocked.
Terrorists’ positions were attacked systematically by artillery and aviation of the Syrian government troops.
Aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces actively supported units of the Syrian army and militia.
In the course of March 7-27, in the interests of units of the Syrian government troops, the Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out more than 500 combat sorties near Palmyra performing more than 2000 airstrikes on ISIS terrorists.
First of all the main strong points and artillery positions on heights have been eliminated.
Most control centres of militants were eliminated by the Russian aviation during the first two days of the operation.
Daily the Russian aviation eliminated the automobile columns with militants and ammunition that tried to force Palmyra from Al-Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor.
On March 23, units of the Syrian army came close to Palmyra and began to storm the high points in the city suburbs. They had been captured within 24 hours.
In the morning of March 27, the Syrian army and militia groups took control over the city. It took 2 days to liquidate the rest ISIS military groupings in some city districts.
During the operation, Russian aircraft attacked only detected objects of terrorists. The most important objects of terrorists were eliminated with high-accurate munitions, which had been aimed at the targets from the ground in the real time mode.
It is to be stressed that not a single historical object of Palmyra suffered from actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
All the ISIS illegal armed groups that escaped from encirclement were destroyed by the Russian aviation which did not let them go towards al-Raqqah and Deir ez-Zor.
Regained control of the Syrian army over Palmyra will impede redeployment of the ISIS military groups between northern and southern areas of Syria. Moreover, it will allow reducing their defensive capabilities in Damascus and Aleppo.
Loss of control over rich natural resources will aggravate terrorists’ economic and financial condition, reduce their capability for buying new weapons, ammunition, material means and supplying fighters with money.
In accordance with the decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Russian experts from the International Mine Action Center of the Armed Forces will arrive to Palmyra to clean it off highly explosive objects in the short terms.
The first units of Russian sappers have already arrived in Syria.
According to preliminary estimations, more than 180 hectares of the architectural, historical and inhabited parts of the city should be cleared of mines.
The work is complicated by the fact that apart from regular mines terrorists left behind in Palmyra a large number of improvised explosive assemblies. Therefore the most difficult areas will be cleared by Russian specialized robot-engineers Uran-6.
