These images show Ukrainian border guards destroying occupiers hiding in a warehouse after striking them with mortars and promising to send them home for Christmas in “black bags”.
Occupiers were detected by Ukrainian drones as they attempted to make advancements and establish a foothold in a settlement in the Luhansk region.
The Ukrainian fighters reportedly covered the enemy with mortar fire after detecting their movement near one of the temporarily occupied villages.
At least seven occupiers took shelter in a warehouse and were eliminated in the fire, the State Border Service of Ukraine claimed.
The footage, obtained by Newsflash from the State Border Service along with a statement on 20th December, shows Russian soldiers running into the warehouse in an attempt to hide and others fleeing from the site as Ukrainian fighters strike the area with mortars.
The statement said: “A few more Russian families will receive their ‘liberators’ in a black bag under the Christmas tree”.
“The border guards expelled the rioters from the village and treated them with mines in the industrial zone. In the Luhansk region, the border guards detected the movement of the enemy near one of the temporarily occupied villages with the help of a UAV.
“Enemy infantry tried to gain a foothold in the settlement, but the soldiers of the State Border Service did not allow them to do so.
“Military personnel of the State Border Guard Service as part of the Defence Forces of Ukraine destroy the invaders and bring victory over the aggressor country closer.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 300th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 20th December, Russia had lost about 99,230 personnel, 2,995 tanks, 5,974 armoured combat vehicles, 1,960 artillery units, 410 multiple launch rocket systems, 212 air defence systems, 281 warplanes, 266 helicopters, 1,680 drones, 653 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,599 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 177 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 met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on 19th December, increasing Ukrainian fears that Lukashenko will be coerced into opening a new invasion front. However, the two reportedly barely mentioned Ukraine.
The two leaders spoke about the benefits of cooperation while claiming that Belarus still faces a Western threat.
The US has accused United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of “apparently yielding to Russian threats” by not inspecting drones allegedly supplied by Iran to Russia for use in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked Western leaders to provide more weapons and military support during a meeting in Latvia after drones attacked Kyiv and damaged critical infrastructure on 19th December.
Ukraine’s energy system is reportedly struggling, as Russian attacks and low temperatures have put significant strains on the power grid.
European officials have agreed to intervene in the energy crisis and to cap gas prices at EUR 180 (GBP 157) in a so-called gas market correction mechanism that is set to apply from 15th February.
And the Kremlin has called the European gas price cap a violation of market pricing, stating that Russia needs time to come up with a response.
The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) is reportedly clashing with other pro-Russian authorities over DPR employees allegedly detaining trucks travelling from Crimea and illegally confiscating drivers’ vehicles and personal documents for no apparent reason.
The Russian-backed Crimean chairman of the Association of Freight Carriers and Freight Forwarders, Anatoly Tsurkin, has posted a public appeal to DPR head Denis Pushilin calling for Pushilin to regulate the “illegal, groundless actions that are carried out on the territory of the DPR” by employees.
