Ukrainian Artillery Destroys Russian Mortars And Troops Threatening Their Position

These images show Ukrainian artillery destroying Russian mortars and troops that they said were threatening their position.

The footage shows the Russian soldiers operating the mortars in small clearings in a wooded area before they are hit by the Ukrainian ordnance.

Russian soldiers can be seen fleeing the area and trying to take cover in what appears to be a dugout as the footage ends.

The images were obtained from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Konstantin Ostrozky of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Wednesday, 19th April, along with a statement saying: “Enemy mortars were defeated.

“Mortars of the occupiers were going to hit our positions. But the aerial scouts of the 30 Separate Mechanized Brigade detected the enemy in time and adjusted the artillery fire.”

The images and statement were also relayed by the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Thursday, 20th April.

Russian soldiers fire with mortars before being hit by the Ukrainian artillery on the frontlines in Ukraine in undated footage. The footage was released by the 30th separate mechanized brigade on Wednesday, Apr. 19, 2023. (@30brigade/Newsflash)

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 421st day of the full-scale war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 20th April 2023, Russia had lost about 184,420 personnel, 3,667 tanks, 7,120 armoured combat vehicles, 2,825 artillery units, 539 multiple launch rocket systems, 285 air defence systems, 308 warplanes, 293 helicopters, 2,386 drones, 911 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,707 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 332 units of special equipment.

Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.

Lloyd Austin, the US Secretary of Defence, said in Sweden on Wednesday that the United States is looking forward to welcoming the country into NATO before July.

He added that the United States will encourage Turkey and Hungary to ratify Sweden’s membership.

Russia is using spy ships disguised as fishing vessels in the North Sea aimed at ensuring it can sabotage windfarms and communications cables, according to an investigation carried out by several public broadcasters in northern European countries.

The public broadcasters of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark have said that Moscow has a fleet of suspected spy ships working in the North Sea.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has denied the accusations and called them “baseless”.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has visited the north-western Ukrainian region of Volyn, on the border of Poland and Belarus, and praised the work of border guards there.

The United States has announced USD 325 million in new military aid to Ukraine, including HIMARS ammunition and advanced missiles, as well as anti-tank mines.

The European Commission has proposed EUR 100 million in compensation for EU farmers affected by recent influxes of Ukrainian grain in a bid to calm tensions with countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has also reportedly written to the leaders of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Romania to set out support measures.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, has said that grain ship inspections are resuming after a two-day hiatus, under an agreement brokered by the United Nations to safely export Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports.