Story By: Ana Marjanovic, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
These images purport to show the moment a Russian tank blows up in a massive explosion after being hit by Ukrainian ordnance.
The footage appears to show a Russian tank being hit by ordnance before exploding in a large ball of fire.
The images were obtained from the K2 Battlegroup, a subdivision of the 54th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, which has been fighting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014.
Referring to the Russian military in Ukraine as “uninvited tourists”, the 54th Mechanized Brigade said: “We continue to show the travels of uninvited ‘tourists’ with heavy equipment in the fields of the Donetsk region near Maryinka.”
Maryinka is a town located in the Marinka Raion (district) in the Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine.
The 54th Mechanized Brigade added: “The ‘tourists’ rode through the fields, looking at the Ukrainian fields, where, meanwhile, brave guys from the K2 group with another famous unit were engaged in ‘sowing grain’.
“And it turned out that the ‘tourist’ vehicle met with our seeders. Yes, and broke forever.
“To be continued!”
They signed off with the now famous slogan “Slava Ukraini!”, which means “Glory to Ukraine!” in English.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 107th day of the campaign.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 10th June, Russia had lost 31,900 personnel, 1,409 tanks, 3,450 armoured fighting vehicles, 712 artillery pieces, 222 multiple launch rocket systems, 97 anti-aircraft systems, 212 warplanes, 178 helicopters, 2,438 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, 13 warships, 572 tactical drones, 54 pieces of special equipment and 125 cruise missiles.
Over 1,000 Ukrainian troops captured in Mariupol have been transferred to Russia, according to Russian media. Ukrainian officials estimate that at least 21,000 civilians have been killed in the city.
Two British men, Aiden Aslin, 28, and Shaun Pinner, 48, have been sentenced to death by a court in Russian-controlled eastern Ukraine after being captured while fighting with the Ukrainian army in Mariupol against Russian troops.
An aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is losing up to 200 troops a day.
The United Kingdom and the United States are sending long-range missile systems to Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of more attacks in Ukraine if the West sends long-range weapons.
President Putin has said that the West will not be able to wean itself off from Russian oil and gas for years. US officials have now also admitted that Russian profits on energy might even be higher than they were before the war started.
President Zelenskyy has said that Russian attacks on the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk have turned them into “dead cities”. But he added that Ukrainian forces could still hold Severodonetsk despite being outnumbered.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, walked out of a Security Council meeting after his country was blamed by European Council president Charles Michel for triggering a global food crisis.
President Zelenskyy has requested that a corridor be set up so that the country may export grain currently stuck in Ukrainian ports.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution recommending that the European Union grant Ukraine the status of candidate country for EU membership. Some 438 MEPs voted in favour of the resolution, with 65 voting against and 94 abstaining.
