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Russia has claimed that it has destroyed NATO-supplied Ukrainian armoured vehicles, as well as tanks and weaponry, using high-precision drones.
The Russian footage appears to show Ukrainian tanks and other combat vehicles being hit by drones. The montage shows combat drones flying straight into what appear to be Ukrainian military vehicles, causing them to explode.
Ukrainian officials have claimed that Iranians are in Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine to train Russians to use Iranian-made Shahed-136 combat drones.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday, 13th October, along with a statement claiming: “Nothing can be hidden from the blow. Destruction of armoured vehicles and weapons of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by high-precision UAV strike systems.
“UAV crews of the Airborne Forces in the Nikolaev-Kryvyi Rih direction attacked the positions of self-propelled artillery howitzers, armoured personnel carriers manufactured by NATO countries, tanks and other weapons used by the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
Nikolaev is the Russian word for Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine. Kryvyi Rih is the largest city in central Ukraine.
The Russian MoD also said: “As a result of the use of UAVs, several tanks, self-propelled artillery mounts, and wheeled vehicles, including those supplied by NATO countries, were destroyed.”
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 233rd day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 14th October, Russia had lost about 64,300 personnel, 2,521 tanks, 5,172 armoured combat vehicles, 1,566 artillery units, 362 multiple launch rocket systems, 186 air defence systems, 268 warplanes, 240 helicopters, 1,199 drones, 316 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 3,944 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 142 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Russia has announced that it will evacuate locals from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, in response to a request from its Russian-installed head of the region, as Ukrainian forces approach the city.
The Ukrainian military has said that it has recaptured territory near the city.
A Russian missile strike on the city of Mykolaiv, some 60 miles from Kherson, partially destroyed a five-storey apartment block, killing a 31-year-old man and an 80-year-old woman, with more people believed to still be under the rubble.
The regional governor, Vitaliy Kim, said that a young boy had been pulled from the rubble after a six-hour operation and that the emergency services were still searching for seven other people.
Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, has warned Moscow that its military forces would be “annihilated” by a military response from the West should Russian President Vladimir Putin use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Putin has met with his Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and has reportedly proposed that Russia could export more gas via Turkey and turn it into a new hub, in a bid to maintain Russia’s energy leverage over Europe.
Ben Wallace, the UK Defence Secretary, has said that Russia will run out of weaponry before the West does.
Wallace also said that procurement processes were in place among western allies to make sure that the international community can continue providing Ukraine with weaponry for years.
The Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Alexander Venediktov, has said that Ukraine joining NATO could lead to a third world war.
(T4/ends)
