Russia has said that its paratroopers have destroyed a Ukrainian tank near Bakhmut.
The footage purports to show a Russian war machine manoeuvring into position with the images then cutting to aerial drone footage showing a Ukrainian tank.
The images then cut back to the Russian war machine and reportedly show it repeatedly opening fire, before the footage again cuts to the view from the drone and purports to show the Ukrainian tank being hit.
The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday, 29th May, along with a statement claiming: “Tula paratroopers destroyed a tank of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the northern flank of the Bakhmut direction.”
The Russian MoD added: “On the northern flank of the Artyomovsky direction, units of the Airborne Forces operate. At their positions, they equipped an extensive network of strongholds with minefields. Every day, day and night, military personnel perform a variety of combat missions.
“So, with the help of an unmanned aerial vehicle, the Tula paratroopers detected the movement of an enemy tank. To destroy it, an armoured group on the BMD-4M advanced to the indicated area. Upon arriving at the scene, the servicemen opened fire from a closed position. Correcting the shooting with the help of a drone, they destroyed a tank of the armed forces of Ukraine with an accurate hit.”
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 460th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 29th May 2023, Russia had lost about 207,030 personnel, 3,801 tanks, 7,467 armoured combat vehicles, 3,435 artillery units, 575 multiple launch rocket systems, 331 air defence systems, 313 warplanes, 298 helicopters, 3,054 drones, 1,056 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 6,207 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 453 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 praised his country’s air defence forces after Russia’s largest attack on Kyiv since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
He added that “most of the lives that could have been taken by the [strikes] were saved”.
Two people were killed and three people were injured in the Russian strikes, which took place as the Ukrainian capital prepared to celebrate the anniversary of its founding over 1,500 years ago.
Ukraine’s military forces said that 58 out of 59 Russian drones were shot down across the country, with the majority of them being shot down over the capital.
Zelensky has put forward a bill geared towards sanctioning Iran, Russia’s ally, for 50 years over its role in supplying the Kremlin with weaponry, including hundreds of kamikaze drones.
Alexander Volfovich, the State Secretary of Belarus’ Security Council, has said that Western countries have left Belarus no choice other than to deploy tactical nuclear weapons provided by Russia.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, has said that Russia has “enormous resources and we haven’t just started yes to act very seriously”.
He added that the West supplying Kyiv with weaponry risked escalating the conflict to levels that have not yet been seen.
Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, has appointed a panel to investigate claims from the US that a Russian ship was loaded with weapons at a naval base near Cape Town last year.
