Ukraine says this anti-tank artillery unit is absolutely smashing the Russians in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine.

The footage, which has English audio and subtitles, shows a Ukrainian anti-tank artillery unit fighting the Russians on the battlefield.

One soldier called Vova explains that troops in anti-tank units tend to not last long on the frontlines because they reveal their position as soon as they open fire on an enemy tank.

The soldier explains that before the war, he was working in Poland with his girlfriend, but he returned to Ukraine to fight and protect his country as soon as he could.

The now-renowned Ukrainian sense of humour is ever present, despite the serious subject matter, with Vova saying: “My girlfriend is also stubborn like me. She could have stayed in Poland, but she said, ‘no I’m coming to.'”

Vova adds with a cheeky smile, while his colleagues can be heard laughing heartily: “Now she’s annoying me here too.”

The images then show Ukrainian ordnance with messages inscribed on them, with it explained that the Ukrainian soldiers want the Russians to know why they are fighting.

The filming crew then join other units, including a howitzer crew, with it explained that the troops need to leave their positions as soon as they open fire because the moment they unleash their ordnance on the enemy, they can consider themselves detected and expected return fire.

The images were obtained from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s UNITED24 initiative on Thursday, 3rd November, along with a statement saying (in English): “How one Ukrainian anti-tank artillery unit is smashing Russian forces in Kherson. Our reporter joined an anti-tank unit whose main task is to repel Russian tank breakthrough attempts.

“Unlike most artillery teams, anti-tank units use direct fire, meaning they engage with the enemy at a short distance. This exposes them to heavy return fire from the enemy. But this doesn’t break their fighting spirit. Let’s support our heroes with comments, likes and donations.”

The images were also relayed by the General staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, also on Thursday, 3rd November, along with a brief statement simply saying “Russian Tank Hunting Season”.

According to its website, UNITED24 “was launched by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the main venue for collecting charitable donations in support of Ukraine. Funds will be transferred to the official accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine and allocated by assigned ministries to cover the most pressing needs.”

UNITED24 has so far collected over USD 213 million, according to its website, and with a current balance of just over USD 38 million, it has purchased vast quantities of equipment for the military and the medical sectors of the country, including body armour, helmets and shoes, and x-ray and anaesthesia machines.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 253rd day of the war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 3rd November, Russia had lost about 74,000 personnel, 2,734 tanks, 5,552 armoured combat vehicles, 1,755 artillery units, 390 multiple launch rocket systems, 198 air defence systems, 277 warplanes, 258 helicopters, 1,442 drones, 397 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,162 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 155 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 reversed course and said that Russia is now rejoining the UN-brokered grain export deal.

Putin said on Wednesday: “We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that nothing like this would happen again, that the humanitarian corridors would not be used militarily.”

The move by Russia comes after a large convoy of ships transported a record amount of grain from Ukrainian ports in defiance of Moscow’s warnings that it would not be safe to do so without its participation.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed Russia’s U-turn, saying that it was a “significant diplomatic result to our country and the whole world”.

Zelensky added on Wednesday evening: “Implementation of the grain export initiative continues. The Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine. This shows both the failure of the Russian aggression and how strong we are when we remain united.”

The United States has also welcomed the move, with State Department spokesperson Ned Price praising UN and Turkish mediators and adding that it was important that the deal was “not only set back in motion, but it’s renewed later this month.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Turkey in a statement for its efforts to ensure the continuation of the deal and reminded Russia of the “importance of continued adherence to UN-brokered agreements and its commitments to support global food security.”

Russia has said that it is committed to preventing a nuclear war and that preventing confrontation between countries with nuclear weapons was its top priority.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it feared that nuclear powers were “on the brink of a direct armed conflict” and that Western powers must stop “encouraging provocations with weapons of mass destruction, which can lead to catastrophic consequences”.

The United States has accused North Korea of secretly providing Russia with “a significant number” of artillery shells. The accusation comes amid increasing evidence that Russia is suffering from a shortage of key weaponry.

US National security council spokesperson John Kirby said that the White House believes that North Korea is “covertly supplying” weaponry to Russia while “trying to make it appear as though they are being sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa”.

Moscow has said that it plans to summon Deborah Bronnert, the UK Ambassador to Russia, to address its unproven accusation that “British specialists” were involved in the Sevastopol drone attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

This comes after Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that the UK was “deeply involved” in the attack on Sevastopol, according to Russian state-owned news agency TASS.