By Ollie Richardson

On December 28th, 2017, the Ukrainian/anti-Russian propaganda conveyor belt known as “TSN” (Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn – in english: Television News Service) filmed and broadcasted a segment that aimed to provide the Ukrainian Air Force with some much needed cheap PR. This three-minute video report from the Donetsk region (near the Azov Sea) hoped to show the aerial might of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) and that they have, as Poroshenko repeatedly states, “said the final farewell to the Russian empire”. However, it turns out that the State Department-trained staff of TSN can’t even execute simply plans without causing a scandal.

Firstly, and perhaps the most ridiculous of all: in the video there are 2 helicopters on display – Mi-8MTV and Mi-24. The former is a transport helicopter, and the latter is a combat one. Both of these are Soviet creations. And the only reason Ukraine even has them is due to inheritance. Thus, this is just one example of why no “Institute of National Memory“ or anti-Soviet agitprop can change Ukraine’s “red” past. In fact, Ukraine wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for Vladimir Lenin, which is why the demolition of monuments to him is even more embarrassing.

Secondly, the way in which these helicopters are depicted in the video is extremely incriminating for the junta in Kiev. First and foremost, both of them are equipped with cannons.

The screenshot above is the Mi-8, and the one below is the Mi-24. Both are clearly “packing heat”, although for the latter it is to be expected.

But when watching the video something bizarre jumps out at the eyes. Why is a certain part of the Mi-8 censored throughout the program?

The screenshot above shows a wide-view shot and a very large blurry blob over the rotors of the Mi-8, and the one below shows the same mysterious blob superimposed over the same helicopter in the air.

This censored area is not present on the Mi-24 helicopter, so what’s the problem with the Mi-8? Well, thanks to the letter of the SBU that was leaked on the Internet, the keen-eyed observer doesn’t need to be left in suspense.

It turns out that when preparing this video report and filming the officers and helicopters in action, the press service of the genocidal operation known as the “ATO” clearly stressed to the team of journalists that military aviation identification signs that could point to lethal means being used by the air medical services should in no way should be filmed on camera. For some reason, probably through stupidity, “TSN” decided to ignore this warning. And so, upon closer inspection it is visible in the video that the Mi-8 does in fact have a giant red medical cross on its side:

When the press service of the “ATO” initially inspected the materials, they pointed out that in the footage the red cross was visible on a helicopter that opened fire from cannons. In the video the commander of the “ATO” forces Mikhail Zabrodsky claims that the main part of the exercise with the use of military aircraft is associated with medical evacuation flights for the wounded contingent and other transport tasks. Regardless of the excuses, the report, which aired on public TV, had to be censored during the post-production stage, but rather sloppily it must be said. So what can be learnt from this sad circus? The footage proves that the UAF does use helicopters sporting medical services insignia to attack targets using the cannons mounted under the wings. The Mi-24 doesn’t need to be censored because it does not have such insignia – it is primarily NOT a transport vehicle.

In the letter the Fuhrer of the UAF Viktor Muzhenko complains about “propagandists of Russian-terrorist troops taking advantage” of this large – to say the least – error. According to him, they began to publish material on the topic, which “discredits the command of the ‘ATO’ and the UAF as a whole”.

So, taking into account everything mentioned above, there is a question: does the UAF use Mi-8 transport helicopters disguised as air ambulances to attack the civilians of Donbass and then later blame the DPR/LPR militia? The very fact that the SBU panicked and demanded the “deletion” of the red medical cross would suggest that the answer to this question is “yes”. Finally, it is worth noting that the use of air ambulances as combat vehicles violates Articles 19 and 22 of the 1949 Geneva Convention on the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armed Forces.

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