Russia has claimed that it has thwarted a Ukrainian offensive near Klishchiivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine using artillery, as these images purport to show.
The footage shows Russian artillery repeatedly firing shells with the images then appearing to cut to smoke on a hillside.
The images then purport to show Ukrainian armoured vehicles advancing, with some of them apparently being hit.
Infantry can be seen leaving one of the damaged vehicles before they too are hit by artillery shells.
The footage then appears to show a Ukrainian infantry attacking a Russian position before another armoured vehicle is hit.
The video then appears to cut to dead Ukrainian soldiers lying on the battlefield next to the destroyed armoured vehicle as the footage ends.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday, 10th August, along with a statement claiming: “Artillerymen of the Airborne Troops thwarted the offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of Kleshcheevka.”
The Russian MoD added: “The units of the Airborne Forces (VDV) thwarted the offensive of the Ukrainian nationalists in the area of Kleshcheevka.
“The crew of the complex with an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Airborne Forces unit discovered four units of armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were trying to deliver personnel to the line of contact. The scouts transmitted the coordinates to the artillery control point and, immediately, the paratroopers launched a fire strike.
“Accurate fire from 122-mm D-30 howitzers destroyed two enemy armoured combat vehicles that tried to retreat to the rear of their units after the infantry landed.
“An aimed shot destroyed and dispersed the enemy infantry, which was trying to find shelter in a forest plantation and lie down in the field.
“The retreating infantry and the wounded, under the cover of the BTR-4 ‘Bucephalus’, tried to evacuate from the battlefield, but the paratroopers, noticing the armoured vehicle, destroyed it with an accurate hit.
“The enemy was demoralised and retreated, leaving the wounded and dead on the battlefield.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 533rd day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 10th August 2023, Russia had lost about 252,200 personnel, 4,278 tanks, 8,303 armoured combat vehicles, 5,028 artillery units, 711 multiple launch rocket systems, 469 air defence systems, 315 warplanes, 313 helicopters, 4,179 drones, 1,377 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 7,495 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 746 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said today, Thursday, that it had shot down 11 Ukrainian drones near Crimea last night.
It also said that it had shot down two drones flying towards Moscow.
The Ukrainian Governor of Ukraine’s western Rivne region, Vitaliy Koval, has said that Russian drones destroyed a fuel depot in the region. He added that there had been no casualties.
The Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom has said that Russian authorities have increased their efforts to stop their citizens from accessing virtual private networks (VPNs).
The UK MoD said that “VPNs are hugely popular in Russia, despite being illegal since 2017. They allow users to access objective international news sources, including about the war in Ukraine.”
Russian officials have said that there was an explosion at a factory on Wednesday north of Moscow that had previously been reported to be making optical equipment for the Russian military.
One person was killed and 60 others were left injured, with eight people unaccounted for, Russian officials said.
No official explanation for the explosion has been provided so far.
Ukrainian forces have reportedly crossed the Dnipro River between liberated and occupied Kherson near the settlement of Kozachi Laheri and breached Russian defensive lines.
Ukrainian officials have said that Russia targeted a residential area in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Two people were reportedly killed and seven were injured in the missile attack.
A spokesperson for German defence company Rheinmetall has said that it will refurbish 30 second-hand Leopard 1 main battle tanks and send them to Ukraine.
The tanks are reportedly part of a fleet of 49 vehicles that the company bought from Belgian private defence company OIP Land Systems.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Germany and Ukraine have agreed on the supply of two additional Patriot air defence missile systems.
Zelensky said: “This will definitely bring us closer to creating a full-fledged air shield for Ukraine. This will help people, cities, villages.”
Moscow has accused Poland and Finland of threatening its security, with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu saying on Wednesday: “Threats to the military security of the Russian Federation have multiplied in the western and north-western strategic directions.”
He said the alleged threats would “require a timely and adequate response.”
Poland had earlier announced that it would send 2,000 troops to its eastern border with Belarus, doubling the number of soldiers there after the country became a new base for the Wagner mercenary organisation.
