Russia has said that its paratroopers have killed hidden Ukrainian troops using grenades dropped from drones.
The footage purports to show destroyed Ukrainian military vehicles before a drone is seen dropping a grenade on a Ukrainian soldier, who manages to crawl away before it explodes.
The images then show the Russian drone apparently dropping bombs and other Ukrainian positions. The images then show what appears to be a destroyed military vehicle in a forested area before the footage ends.
The footage was obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday, 27th October, along with a statement claiming: “Russian paratroopers, using drones, quickly discovered the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine while trying to covertly approach the positions of the Airborne Forces.
“The Russian Defence Ministry has published footage of the broken military armoured vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by units of the Airborne Forces in the zone of the special military operation.
“Russian paratroopers, using unmanned aerial vehicles, quickly discovered the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine while trying to covertly approach the positions of the Airborne Forces.
“The armoured vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed by the fire of tanks and artillery.
“Also, with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, grenades were used to destroy enemy manpower in camouflaged shelters.”
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 246th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 27th October, Russia had lost about 69,220 personnel, 2,631 tanks, 5,364 armoured combat vehicles, 1,690 artillery units, 379 multiple launch rocket systems, 192 air defence systems, 271 warplanes, 249 helicopters, 1,398 drones, 351 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,078 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 150 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 reportedly overseen multiple military exercises involving strategic nuclear forces and the launch of multiple cruise and ballistic missiles.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the exercises were to simulate a “massive nuclear strike” by Russia in response to a nuclear attack.
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the Russians had given no sign that they were going to abandon the city of Kherson, with the Russian-installed authorities reportedly telling locals to move to the eastern bank of the Dnieper River.
Vladimir Saldo, a Russia-installed official in Kherson, has said that 70,000 civilians have left the Kherson region in a week.
Oleksiy Reznikov, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, has said that poor weather and the terrain had slowed down the advance of the Ukrainian military in the Kherson region.
Reznikov also said that he did not believe that Putin would use nuclear weapons.
Ukraine has reportedly exhumed approximately 1,000 bodies, including those of civilians and children, in the recently liberated region of Kharkiv. This figure includes 447 bodies found at a mass burial site in Izium.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has said that Defence Minister Shoigu has spoken by phone with his Chinese and Indian counterparts and raised Russia’s supposed concerns about the possibility of Ukraine using a “dirty bomb”.
This is after Shoigu spoke by phone with NATO defence ministers. There is currently no evidence to support Russia’s claim.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations aid chief, has said that he is “relatively optimistic” that the UN-brokered Black Sea grain export deal would be extended beyond mid-November.
There are plans for the European Union to introduce a price cap on gas this winter to tackle price spikes, if members give Brussels the power to propose the measure.
