These images show Ukrainian soldiers hitting a tank on the battlefield and causing its crew to flee in terror.
The footage shows the tank opening fire on Ukrainian positions before it is hit by Ukrainian ordnance, causing its crew to flee in the opposite direction as the footage ends. Its ammunition compartment then reportedly exploded.
The images were obtained from the 68th Separate Jaeger Brigade named after Oleksa Dovbush of the Ground Forces of Ukraine on Sunday, 20th November, along with a statement saying: “Anti-tank wolverines spectacularly deprived the occupiers of another tank.”
The statement quotes an unnamed soldier in the brigade as saying: “We were standing in position when we saw an enemy armoured vehicle coming out from behind the hill. The tank pushed forward, periodically firing shots in our direction.”
The statement added: “Our hero approached, took aim and fired, hitting the rear of the tank. The car was engulfed in flames, and the dazed Rashists jumped out and began to run away in disorder.
“Meanwhile, the fire spread more and more throughout the tank, reaching the ammunition, which detonated.
“So the wolverines once again proved that only our rage and death await the invaders here!”
‘Rashist’ is a term that is often used by the Ukrainian forces when referring to the Russian invaders. It is a combination of the words ‘Russia’ and ‘fascism’.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 271st day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 21st November, Russia had lost about 84,600 personnel, 2,892 tanks, 5,822 armoured combat vehicles, 1,870 artillery units, 393 multiple launch rocket systems, 209 air defence systems, 278 warplanes, 261 helicopters, 1,537 drones, 480 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,378 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 161 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Russian forces launched nearly 400 strikes in eastern Ukraine as part of a new artillery offensive on Sunday, according to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zelensky said: “The fiercest battles, as before, are in the Donetsk region. Although there were fewer attacks today due to worsening weather, the amount of Russian shelling unfortunately remains extremely high.”
Zelensky added: “In the Luhansk region, we are slowly moving forward while fighting. As of now, there have been almost 400 artillery attacks in the east since the start of the day.”
Russia has reassigned troops that were in Kherson in southern Ukraine to the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, is set on Monday to assess potential damage to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – after renewed shelling.
The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said that the forces responsible for the shelling were “playing with fire”.
Germany has offered Poland Patriot missile defence systems to help protect its airspace after a missile hit the NATO member last week.
Christine Lambrecht, Germany’s Minister of Defence, said: “We have offered Poland support in securing airspace – with our Eurofighters and with Patriot air defence systems.”
Mykhaylo Podolyak, a key adviser to the Ukrainian president, has said that negotiations with Russia would amount to “capitulation”.
Podolyak labelled Western attempts to urge Ukraine to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “bizarre” as Ukrainian forces have recently won a number of victories on the battlefield.
He said it would be like saying that the country “that recovers its territories must capitulate to the country that is losing”.
