The so-called Donetsk People’s Republic has said that the Russian Air Force has taken out Ukrainian military vehicles.
The footage purports to show the Russian ordnance hitting the Ukrainian positions.
The images were obtained from the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) on Tuesday, 7th March, along with a statement claiming: “Russian Aerospace Forces hit the shelters of enemy equipment in the Avdiivka direction.
“Three self-propelled artillery mounts, three tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles and six vehicles were destroyed.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 378th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 8th March 2023, Russia had lost about 155,530 personnel, 3,436 tanks, 6,723 armoured combat vehicles, 2,463 artillery units, 488 multiple launch rocket systems, 253 air defence systems, 303 warplanes, 289 helicopters, 2,098 drones, 873 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,330 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 236 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that it could be an “open road” for Russian forces to capture other Ukrainian cities if they take control of Bakhmut.
He said: “This is tactical for us, we understand that after Bakhmut they could go further.”
Western officials have said that between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian soldiers have been either killed or wounded in the battle for Bakhmut since the beginning of last summer.
American media reports, citing US officials, have said that the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines last year were potentially carried out by a pro-Ukrainian group.
The reports also said that there is currently no indication that the Ukrainian government was involved.
Russia has said that the media reports demonstrate the necessity for Moscow’s questions about what happened to be answered.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the Ukrainian Presidency, has said that 130 prisoners of war have been exchanged with Russia.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said 90 prisoners of war had been returned by Ukraine.
Ukraine has named an armed prisoner of war who was apparently shot dead by Russian soldiers, with President Zelensky vowing to “find the murderers”.
The footage, which circulated on social media on Monday, reportedly shows a man the Ukrainian military has named as Tymofiy Mykolayovych Shadura standing in a shallow trench and smoking a cigarette before apparently being shot with automatic rifles.
The Belarusian government said that it detained a Ukrainian “terrorist group” on Tuesday that was working with Ukraine’s intelligence services to carry out sabotage operations at an airfield in Belarus.
Qin Gang, China’s Foreign Minister, has said that his country must strengthen its relationship with Russia in response to continued hostility from the United States.
