Russia has claimed that it has “annihilated” the Ukrainian armoured vehicles using UAVs in southern Donetsk.
The first-person-view footage purports to show a Russian drone honing in on a moving Ukrainian armoured vehicle, with the images cutting out as it hits it.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday, 22nd June, along with a statement claiming (in English): “AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] armoured vehicles annihilated by UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] operators in South Donetsk direction.”
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 484th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 22nd June 2023, Russia had lost about 222,650 personnel, 4,013 tanks, 7,783 armoured combat vehicles, 3,941 artillery units, 617 multiple launch rocket systems, 376 air defence systems, 314 warplanes, 307 helicopters, 3,438 drones, 1,214 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 6,678 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 539 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that the counteroffensive may be going “slower than desired”.
But he added that he would not needlessly risk his soldiers’ lives to meet international expectations.
The European Union has pledged an additional EUR 50 billion in grants and loans to Ukraine, with the United Kingdom and the United States promising USD 3 billion and USD 1.3 billion in financial support.
The pledges were made at a conference in London geared towards reconstruction efforts in Ukraine.
The World Bank, working with the Ukrainian government and the European Commission, as well as the United Nations, has estimated reconstruction and recovery costs at USD 411 billion.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the summit that Russia will ultimately pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine, saying: “Let’s be clear: Russia is causing Ukraine’s destruction and Russia will eventually bear the cost of Ukraine’s reconstruction.”
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that all NATO allies were giving their support to a plan to provide Ukraine with a fast track to becoming a member of the Alliance.
He said the United Kingdom was “very, very supportive” of Ukraine being able to join the Alliance without requiring it to meet conditions that are typically set out for NATO membership.
Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian President’s Chief of Staff, has said that his country expects to be invited to join the Alliance with an “open date” at a NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
The head of the notorious Russian mercenary organisation Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has accused Russian defence officials of deceiving the Russian people about the progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
He said: “They are misleading the Russian people.”
Prigozhin added: “Huge chunks [of land] have been handed over to the enemy.”
Russia’s Constitutional Court has denied an attempt by rights groups to have a law repealed that bans people from speaking out against the invasion of Ukraine.
European Union governments have agreed on an 11th sanctions package against Russia which is geared towards stopping third countries and companies from circumventing measures that are currently in place to prevent goods and technology from being exported to Russia.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has announced that a new Sarmat nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile would soon enter service.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said that air defence systems down three drones in the Moscow region on Wednesday, labelling the incident a “terrorist attack” by Ukraine that targeted a military base near Russia’s capital.
