Ukraine drone strike shoots down £11million Russian helicopter ahead of crunch peace meeting

The chopper was blasted out of the sky over Russia’s Rostov Oblast.

In response to the success, the Special Forces said: “We are changing the rules of the game: now we are hunting!

“For the first time, a Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in the air by an SSO ‘deep strike’ drone!

“Every mission requires creativity, starting from the technical characteristics of the means, and ending with the planning and the training of the pilots.

“This mission left the enemy with very many questions, the answers to which are known only by the Mi-8 crew members — but they will not tell.

“Special Operations Forces: Always beyond the boundary!”

And it was not just the Special Forces that have bagged a major success this week - the air defences have also got in on the act.

A mobile fire group shot down a Kalibr cruise missile using a man-portable air defence system, amid a Russian missile attack earlier in the week.

While the Ukrainian forces are seeing some success, President Volodymyr Zelensky remains stuck between a rock and a hard place at the negotiating table.

US President Donald Trump presented his 28-point plan that has faced fierce criticism for its apparent favouring of Russia, forcing him to back-track and admit it is “not my final offer.”

He had previously insisted that the Ukrainian President “is going to have to approve it” or face losing significant territory to Russia “in a short amount of time”.

The terms of the draft agreement, which was negotiated in Miami, would force Ukraine to cap its armed forces at 600,000 personnel and amend its constitution to permanently rule out Nato membership.

It would also see Russia keep much of the Ukrainian territory that is currently under its occupation, such as Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.

Additionally, all sanctions against Russia would be removed, and Putin would regain his seat at the G8, reversing more than 10 years of international isolation.

The plan has been widely condemned, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joining 13 other European and international leaders at the G20 in describing President Trump's draft proposal as “a basis which will require additional work”.

“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force," the European Council said. “We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack.”

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also blasted the plan as “unacceptable”.

“I am waiting to see a counter-proposal from Zelensky’s government,” he told The Telegraph.

On Friday, after the plan had been leaked to the public, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine now “faces a very difficult choice: either losing dignity, or risk losing a key partner”.

“Today is one of the most difficult moments in our history,” he added.

The Ukrainian President was given a deadline of Thursday, November 27, to respond to the terms, although President Trump admitted deadlines could be extended if progress is being made.