These images show Ukrainian special forces snipers taking out Russian soldiers trying to storm their positions at night in Bakhmut.
The footage, shot through the scopes of sniper rifles, shows a number of Russian soldiers being taken out by the Ukrainian soldiers.
The images were obtained from the Command of the Special Operations Forces (SSO) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Wednesday, 5th April, along with a statement saying: “‘Work boils at night’, – a sniper of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine about hunting the enemy.
“More than 10 destroyed occupiers are the result of SSO sniper pairs in the Bakhmut area during the last few days.
“At night, the enemy tries to advance and storm the positions of the Defence Forces in the indicated direction.
“Our soldiers are constantly observing, detecting and destroying the enemy’s manpower from different distances and with different calibres.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 406th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 5th April 2023, Russia had lost about 176,240 personnel, 3,629 tanks, 7,005 armoured combat vehicles, 2,707 artillery units, 532 multiple launch rocket systems, 280 air defence systems, 306 warplanes, 291 helicopters, 2,283 drones, 911 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 5,573 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 299 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Finland has become the 31st member of NATO after Pekka Haavisto, the Finnish Foreign Minister, handed over accession documents to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Brussels.
Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said: “It is a great day Finland.”
He said that it was a new era for his country and that Finland would be a reliable ally, adding: “Security and stability are those elements which we feel very strongly; if people can live in secure stable circumstances that’s the basic element of happy life.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger.”
Finland’s accession to the alliance means that Russia’s border with NATO has now doubled.
US President Joe Biden has welcomed Finland’s accession to the military alliance and has urged Hungary and Turkey to finish their ratification processes for Sweden to join the Alliance.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and French President Emmanuel Macron, are set to arrive in China today, Wednesday, in a bid to “reset” ties with Beijing over Ukraine and trade.
Russian investigators have formally charged Darya Trepova, 26, with terrorism over the death of the pro-war military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky who was killed when a bomb hidden inside a small statue went off in a cafe in Saint Petersburg on Sunday.
The Russian state-owned news agency TASS has said that the number of people who were injured in the explosion has now risen to 40.
The authoritarian President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is set to travel to Moscow today for two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.
The parliament of Lithuania has banned Russian nationals from buying property in the country, saying that it is a national security matter.
