WAR IN UKRAINE: Moment Ukrainian Paratroopers Destroy Russian Tanks

Story By:  Ana MarjanovicSub-EditorMichael Leidig, Agency:  Newsflash

These images purport to show the moment that Ukrainian paratroopers destroy two Russian tanks.

The images reportedly show a Ukrainian soldier successfully targeting the Russian military vehicles.

It is currently unclear where exactly in Ukraine the footage was filmed but it was obtained from the Command of the Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who said: “The video shows how the soldiers of the anti-tank unit of the 80th separate assault brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully hunt for heavy armoured vehicles of the enemy.

The 80th separate assault brigade apparently destroyed two Russian tanks in Ukraine. (Command of the Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Newsflash)

“In particular, two tanks of Russian invaders were destroyed by Lviv paratroopers using the Stugna-P anti-tank missile system.

“Judging by the detonation of ammunition, enemy combat vehicles together with their crews underwent a complete ‘demilitarisation’.”

They signed off with “death to the Russian occupiers!” and “Glory to Ukraine!”

The 80th separate assault brigade apparently destroyed two Russian tanks in Ukraine. (Command of the Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Newsflash)

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation” to “liberate the Donbass”. Today marks the 114th day of the invasion.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 17th June, Russia had lost about 33,150 personnel, 1,456 tanks, 3,563 armoured combat vehicles, 734 artillery units, 233 multiple launch rocket systems, 97 air defence systems, 215 warplanes, 180 helicopters, 593 drones, 129 cruise missiles, 13 warships, 2,496 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 55 units of special equipment.

Washington has told China it risks ending up on the “wrong side of history” following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s assurance to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Beijing supports Russian “sovereignty”.

The 80th separate assault brigade apparently destroyed two Russian tanks in Ukraine. (Command of the Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Newsflash)

Thousands of civilians remain trapped in the key eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, where the water supply is reported to be dwindling. Hundreds of civilians are taking shelter in the bunkers beneath the city’s Azot chemical plant.

Luhansk Oblast governor Serhiy Haidai said earlier this week that all three bridges into Sievierodonetsk had been destroyed, making delivering supplies and evacuating civilians impossible.

United States President Joe Biden has promised Kyiv another USD 1 billion in security assistance and weapons. And US General Mark Milley says Russia has lost around 20 to 30 per cent of its armoured force during the ongoing invasion.

The 80th separate assault brigade apparently destroyed two Russian tanks in Ukraine. (Command of the Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine/Newsflash)

Former Russian president and staunch Vladimir Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev has derided French, German and Italian leaders visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as “fans of frogs, liverwurst and spaghetti”.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train from Poland for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday, 16th June.

On 8th June, the European Parliament 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.