MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The Russian army on March 5 destroyed one Mi-8 helicopter and four Sukhoi-27 jets of the Ukrainian air force and one Bayraktar TB-2 drone, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the media on Saturday.

"More strikes against Ukrainian military infrastructure were carried out today. On March 5 alone, the Russian forces destroyed five radars and two air defense missile systems Buk M-1. In an air clash near Zhitomir four Ukrainian Sukhoi-27 jets were shot down. The air defense system downed one Sukhoi-25 plane near Nezhin. Also, the air defense forces destroyed one Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter and one Bayraktar TB-2 drone," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 launched a special military operation in Ukraine following a request for assistance from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He said Moscow had no plans for an occupation of Ukrainian territories. The sole purpose is the country’s demilitarization and denazification. The Russian Defense Ministry says its forces are not attacking cities. Their focus is entirely on military infrastructures. The civilian population is not in danger.