Russia has claimed that it has destroyed an American M113 armoured personnel carrier using artillery.
The footage purports to show Russian soldiers loading ammunition into an artillery piece before it can be seen repeatedly opening fire on unseen positions.
The footage then cuts to what appears to be an aerial view of an explosion on the battlefield, with the Russian authorities later claiming an American armoured personnel carrier supplied to Ukraine had been destroyed.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Tuesday, 23rd May, along with a statement claiming: “Of all the guns: gunners continue to carry out fire missions in the special military operation zone.”
The Russian MoD added: “In cooperation with the crews of unmanned aerial vehicles, gunners of the Central Military District hit identified targets, and also conduct counter-battery combat with enemy artillery.
“Today, the crew of a D-20 towed howitzer managed to destroy an American M113 armoured personnel carrier, and the Giacint-S self-propelled howitzer hit the detected Ukrainian Armed Forces tank with the first shot.
“Correction of the accuracy of the fire of combat guns is performed in real time, which allows you to destroy enemy targets with a minimum number of shots.”
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 455th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 24th May 2023, Russia had lost about 204,760 personnel, 3,792 tanks, 7,424 armoured combat vehicles, 3,339 artillery units, 570 multiple launch rocket systems, 327 air defence systems, 309 warplanes, 296 helicopters, 2,871 drones, 1,015 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 6,146 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 440 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Russia claims to have repelled an attack led by Russian partisans that saw a series of battles in Russia’s south-western Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Governor of Belgorod, said late on Tuesday that antiterrorism measures that were put in place following the attack have now been lifted.
Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out the skirmish and said that the partisans were in fact Ukrainians, while Ukraine has vehemently denied this and said that they were Russians seeking to oust Vladimir Putin from power.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that Poland has begun training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.
He told EU defence ministers in Brussels: “I am happy that finally, the training of the pilots for the F-16 has started in several countries. It will take time, but the sooner the better […] For example, in Poland.”
Borrell also said that EU members had supplied Ukraine with 220,000 artillery shells and 1,300 missiles since March.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said his country is analysing options to support a coalition of countries willing to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.
He added that Germany’s contribution could only be minor as the country does not own any F-16 fighter jets.
The detention of Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich has been extended by a court in Moscow.
Gershkovich was arrested at the end of March on charges of espionage. The court said that he should remain detained until 30th August. The US has called for his immediate release.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Maliar, said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces still control the south-western part of the embattled eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.
She added that Ukrainian forces had made progress “on the flanks to the north and south of Bakhmut”.
The Ukrainian military said that Russia had carried out 20 missile strikes on Monday against the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions.
The Ukrainian General Staff also said that Russia had launched 48 airstrikes using Iranian-made Shahed drones.
