Ukraine’s 22nd Motorised Infantry Battalion proudly flew the Ukrainian flag as its crews moved their tanks through fields and forests while destroying Russian positions in this astonishing footage.
The images were obtained by Newsflash from the battalion – also known as the Kharkiv Battalion – which shared the video on its Facebook page on 22nd December.
The battalion – quoting a verse by Ukrainian poet Lina Kostenko about a previous Ukrainian independence war – said in a short statement obtained by Newsflash: “Not lazy and not quitters. We are fighters. And our cause is righteous, fair and just. We stand for our freedom and survival. So it’s so hard for us to make it last.”
The footage, in which the Ukrainian soldiers can be seen proudly waving their country’s flag and engaging in combat, received more than 21,000 views in the first 24 hours after it was posted.
Facebook user Natasa Kochura said in a comment: “Good luck to you, our dear ones, thank you to each of you for defending our native Ukraine from all non-humans.
“May you always have the advantage in battles on your side. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to our defenders!”
Another, named Evdokia Tkachenko, wrote: “Go ahead, darlings! And return home after the victory, we are waiting for you.”
And netizen Khana Kanievska added: “Honour and glory to our defenders. God take care of you.”
Ukraine’s 22nd Motorised Infantry Battalion, which is subordinated to the Ministry of Defence, was established during the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War in April 2014.
The battalion is based in the city of Svatove, located on the Krasna River in the Luhansk region, and has been defending the city of Kharkiv during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 303rd day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 23rd December, Russia had lost about 100,950 personnel, 3,005 tanks, 5,986 armoured combat vehicles, 1,984 artillery units, 414 multiple launch rocket systems, 212 air defence systems, 283 warplanes, 267 helicopters, 1,698 drones, 653 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,622 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 178 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call for an end to the war in Ukraine was called out by the United States for having shown “zero” interest in peace negotiations.
President Putin said: “Our goal is not to spin the flywheel of military conflict but, on the contrary, to end this war.”
He added: “Sooner or later, any parties in a state of conflict sit down and make an agreement. The sooner this realisation comes to those who oppose us, the better. We have never given up on this.”
But White House security spokesman John Kirby said President Putin has shown no willingness to negotiate and bring an end to the conflict.
Washington has also claimed that the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, received a shipment of North Korean rockets and missiles to support the invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea’s foreign ministry has dismissed the claim as “false” and “absurd”.
Mr Kirby said in a press conference on 22nd December that Wagner has an estimated 50,000 personnel deployed in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts recruited from Russian prisons.
Russia is slowly rebuilding the shattered Ukrainian port city of Mariupol while allegedly replacing or completely erasing everything Ukrainian in it.
The majority of Mariupol’s Ukrainian street names are being reverted to Soviet-era ones, while the Avenue of Peace, which cuts through the city, is to be renamed Lenin Avenue.
Germany’s government said it had nationalised energy company Uniper after the European Union approved its rescue of the gas supplier to prevent an energy shortage.
In other developments, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, met with Russian officials in Moscow to try to negotiate a protection zone around the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
The nuclear plant has six reactors and has been on the frontline of the war since early March, when it came under Russian military control.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said his country may reduce oil output by seven per cent in early 2023 after European officials announced a price cap that is set to apply from 15th February.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said work is continuing to repair and defend Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, adding that the US is committed to standing with the government in Kyiv “for as long as it takes”.
