WAR IN UKRAINE: Russian Howitzer Blown Up In Open Field

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

This footage purports to show a Russian howitzer in an open field in Ukraine being blown up in an explosion.

Newsflash obtained the video from Vitaliy Kim, a Ukrainian businessman and politician who has been the Governor of Mykolaiv Oblast since 2020, on 16th June.

Kim said: “Minus another Msta-B of the orcs. Thank you 28th.”

Head of the Mykolayiv Regional Military Administration Vitaliy Kim shared that Ukrainian fighters destroyed a Russian howitzer “Msta-B” in Ukraine. (@vitaly_kim/Newsflash )

The 2A65 Msta-B is a Soviet towed 152.4mm howitzer that entered service in 1987. Its operators also include the Ukrainian military.

“28th” refers to the 28th Separate Mechanised Brigade, a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces.

It is not clear where exactly in Ukraine the strike took place.

Kim has become widely known for his charismatic leadership and his wit and mockery of the Russian Army.

His office was hit by a Russian rocket on 29th March, killing at least 31 people. His father is of Koryo-saram ancestry.

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.

Head of the Mykolayiv Regional Military Administration Vitaliy Kim shared that Ukrainian fighters destroyed a Russian howitzer “Msta-B” in Ukraine. (@vitaly_kim/Newsflash )

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”.

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.

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

Head of the Mykolayiv Regional Military Administration Vitaliy Kim shared that Ukrainian fighters destroyed a Russian howitzer “Msta-B” in Ukraine. (@vitaly_kim/Newsflash )

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi had 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.