A suspected Ukrainian saboteur was allegedly captured on film "planting explosives" on helicopters at a Russian military base Monday, shortly before the airborne vessels were "fully destroyed" by a "powerful explosion," according to The Telegraph.
Various reports claim the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters had been damaged beyond repair at the Veretye air force base in the Pskov region — "just a few kilometers" from the Latvian border, according to Ukrainian intelligence officials.
On Tuesday, The Telegraph also reported the editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian website Obozrevatel published a video of the attack. The footage depicts what appears to be a masked operative working the Russian airfield, prior to the helicopter launches.
Accounts of the video footage assert the alleged saboteur was dressed in camouflage clothing and was wearing black gloves.
The footage also seemingly captures that same person assembling an explosive device on the ground, before later walking on deserted asphalt "past several helicopters, planting the bomb under the wing," according to The Telegraph.
Obozrevatel did not disclose the source of the video.
The alleged attack took place in Russia, roughly just 500 miles from the Ukrainian border. The Telegraph reported it potentially represents Ukraine's deepest attack penetration into Russia — at least since this war began on Feb. 24.
According to The Telegraph, Ukrainian intelligence officials have yet to claim responsibility for the helicopter explosion in Russia.
Also, Russian military officials have yet to comment on the explosion.
According to Baza, a news outlet that previously worked in conjunction with Russian security services, Russia's military personnel found additional "improvised" explosive devices after the explosion, "equivalent to 400g of TNT attached to the body of one of the helicopters."
Via The Telegraph, Baza also reports that Russian sources have already downplayed the incident.
"The aircraft were at a military airbase not far from the Latvian border. The helicopters were not fit for use — they were undergoing repair," Baza said on Monday, while quoting unnamed Russian officers.
"The blast was so powerful that the aircraft's debris was scattered around 200 metres away," added Baza.
As Newsmax chronicled last week, among American lawmakers, there's growing concensus that the Ukrainian troops could eventually topple the Russian army — despite having fewer resources for this ongoing conflict.
While appearing on "The Record with Greta Van Susteren," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, went so far as to declare, "Look, the Ukrainians are winning this thing."
"We were told [Russian President Vladimir Putin] would have this war over in four days," added McCaul.
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