The so-called Donetsk People’s Republic has claimed that this footage shows its special forces hitting Ukrainian fortified positions and shooting fleeing soldiers.
The pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) also claimed that the Ukrainian side had suffered heavy losses after DPR special forces fired at them with mortars.
The images purport to show Ukrainian military positions being hit by DPR ordnance. A number of explosions can be seen taking place before soldiers can be seen being hit as well.
The images were obtained from the People’s Militia of the DPR on Thursday, 3rd November, along with a statement claiming: “Scouts of the special forces battalion hit the shelter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and finished off the fleeing militants Ukrainian fighters suffered heavy losses in killed and wounded and fled leaving their positions.
“The withdrawal attempt was detected in a timely manner, and the enemy came under mortar fire while in the open, and suffered even more heavy losses.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 253rd day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 3rd November, Russia had lost about 74,000 personnel, 2,734 tanks, 5,552 armoured combat vehicles, 1,755 artillery units, 390 multiple launch rocket systems, 198 air defence systems, 277 warplanes, 258 helicopters, 1,442 drones, 397 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,162 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 155 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 has reversed course and said that Russia is now rejoining the UN-brokered grain export deal.
Putin said on Wednesday: “We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that nothing like this would happen again, that the humanitarian corridors would not be used militarily.”
The move by Russia comes after a large convoy of ships transported a record amount of grain from Ukrainian ports in defiance of Moscow’s warnings that it would not be safe to do so without its participation.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed Russia’s U-turn, saying that it was a “significant diplomatic result to our country and the whole world”.
Zelensky added on Wednesday evening: “Implementation of the grain export initiative continues. The Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine. This shows both the failure of the Russian aggression and how strong we are when we remain united.”
The United States has also welcomed the move, with State Department spokesperson Ned Price praising UN and Turkish mediators and adding that it was important that the deal was “not only set back in motion, but it’s renewed later this month.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Turkey in a statement for its efforts to ensure the continuation of the deal and reminded Russia of the “importance of continued adherence to UN-brokered agreements and its commitments to support global food security.”
Russia has said that it is committed to preventing a nuclear war and that preventing confrontation between countries with nuclear weapons was its top priority.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it feared that nuclear powers were “on the brink of a direct armed conflict” and that Western powers must stop “encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences”.
The United States has accused North Korea of secretly providing Russia with “a significant number” of artillery shells. The accusation comes amid increasing evidence that Russia is suffering from a shortage of key weaponry.
US National security council spokesperson John Kirby said that the White House believes that North Korea is “covertly supplying” weaponry to Russia while “trying to make it appear as though they are being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa”.
Moscow has said that it plans to summon Deborah Bronnert, the UK Ambassador to Russia, to address its unproven accusation that “British specialists” were involved in the Sevastopol drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
This comes after Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that the UK was “deeply involved” in the attack on Sevastopol, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS.
