These images show a T-72 tank from Ukraine’s 54th Mechanized Brigade obliterating a Russian trench and soldiers at close range while also avoiding being hit by a rocket.
Ukrainian soldiers in an armoured personnel carrier can then be seen relaying the tank and storming the trench, which the Russians had reportedly captured from the Ukrainians earlier.
The footage shows the advancing Ukrainian tank, reportedly a T-72, firing on the Russian trench and taking out a Russian soldier who appears to attempt to throw a grenade at it.
The tank, which can be seen flying the Ukrainian flag, then narrowly avoids being hit by an incoming Russian rocket.
The Ukrainian then cautiously reverses away from the Russian trench, having wrought havoc on it.
The camera, possibly attached to a drone, then pans left and shows what appears to be a second Ukrainian tank camouflaged behind a small hill.
The images then show the first tank advancing again on the Russian position, its turret rotating as if searching for a target.
The Ukrainian tank can then be seen advancing into the Russian trench and coming out the other side, its heavy frame and caterpillar tracks churning up mud.
The tank goes back and forth for a while, as if attempting to destroy the trench, before it can be seen driving over another part of it.
After having thoroughly destroyed the Russian trench, the tank can be seen driving away, with a second Ukrainian vehicle, which appears to be an armoured personnel carrier with soldiers on top of it, taking over.
The Ukrainian soldiers can be seen jumping off the war machine and storming what is left of the Russian trench.
The vehicle can then be seen manoeuvring around the soldiers and continuing to advance.
The images then appear to show the second Ukrainian tank that was hidden behind the mound opening fire on a different section of the Russian trench.
The footage then shows the Ukrainian soldiers in the first section of the trench taking up their positions, their mission of retaking the trench from the Russians a success.
The second piece of footage shows the moment the Ukrainian tank repeatedly opens fire on the Russian trench, taking out soldiers and even trees.
The images were obtained from the K2 group of the 54th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Monday, 3rd April, along with a statement saying: “A terrible finale for the occupiers.”
The statement added: “After the attack of our tanks on the ‘T-pattern’ position captured by the enemy, it turned out that there were more enemy infantry in the trenches than we expected. According to a prisoner, there were 28 occupiers.
“The crew of the T-72 [tank with the callsign] ‘Sokol’ tank broke through close to the trenches. But the ammunition of the tank is very limited. And soon the ‘Sokol’ had only one shot left.
“Watch the second part of the fight for the return of the ‘T-pattern’. After this stunning finale, the enemy made no further attempts to capture the battalion’s positions.”
The second piece of footage was also relayed by the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Tuesday, 4th April, along with a statement saying: “The ‘Sokol’ crew of the K-2 Battalion of the 54th Mechanized Brigade confidently destroys the invaders. The enemy tried to hit the Sokol with anti-tank means, but missed.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 406th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 5th April 2023, Russia had lost about 176,240 personnel, 3,629 tanks, 7,005 armoured combat vehicles, 2,707 artillery units, 532 multiple launch rocket systems, 280 air defence systems, 306 warplanes, 291 helicopters, 2,283 drones, 911 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,573 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 299 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Finland has become the 31st member of NATO after Pekka Haavisto, the Finnish Foreign Minister, handed over accession documents to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said: “It is a great day Finland.”
He said that it was a new era for his country and that Finland would be a reliable ally, adding: “Security and stability are those elements which we feel very strongly; if people can live in secure stable circumstances that’s the basic element of happy life.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger.”
Finland’s accession to the alliance means that Russia’s border with NATO has now doubled.
US President Joe Biden has welcomed Finland’s accession to the military alliance and has urged Hungary and Turkey to finish their ratification processes for Sweden to join the Alliance.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and French President Emmanuel Macron, are set to arrive in China today, Wednesday, in a bid to “reset” ties with Beijing over Ukraine and trade.
Russian investigators have formally charged Darya Trepova, 26, with terrorism over the death of the pro-war military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky who was killed when a bomb hidden inside a small statue went off in a cafe in Saint Petersburg on Sunday.
The Russian state-owned news agency TASS has said that the number of people who were injured in the explosion has now risen to 40.
The authoritarian President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is set to travel to Moscow today for two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.
The parliament of Lithuania has banned Russian nationals from buying property in the country, saying that it is a national security matter.
