Russia has said that it has destroyed Ukrainian positions bordering the Belgorod region using T-80BV tanks.
The footage purports to show one of the Russian war machines camouflaged in a forest before a soldier gets inside it.
The video then cuts to it repeatedly opening fire on unseen targets before soldiers camouflage it with branches as the footage ends.
The images were obtained from the Russian Minister of Defence (MoD) on Tuesday, 7th May, along with a statement claiming: “Tankers from the state border covering group destroyed strongholds of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the region of Ukraine bordering the Belgorod region.”
The Russian MoD added: “The crews of T-80BV tanks of the state border covering group fire from closed firing positions. This means that tankers fire at coordinates in the same way as artillery does. The target can be located up to tens of kilometres away.
“Ukrainian militants regularly, trying to strengthen their units by sending reinforcements, come under fire even as they approach.
“Tankers carry out combat work around the clock. The priority targets are fortifications, strongholds, and enemy military equipment, incl. foreign production.
“Video monitoring equipment recorded the destruction by the Russian crew of the T-80BV tank of strongholds of Ukrainian terrorist formations.
“The location of the Ukrainian Armed Forces militants was revealed by reconnaissance using an unmanned aerial vehicle.
“After a long study of the area, the intelligence officers came to the conclusion that there were no civilians in this area, only the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The Russian MoD statement continued: “It took several shots to hit the targets. When corrected by reconnaissance forces with the help of UAVs, the strongholds, along with the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, were destroyed.”
The statement quotes the commander of a tank platoon with the call sign ‘Yenisei’ as describing how “carefully Russian intelligence officers approach the issue of choosing a target, and by what signs they recognise militants.”
The commander reportedly said: “Basically, we destroy enemy concentrations and mortars… First, reconnaissance works for several days, or even a week. UAV operators look, calculate the [position of the] enemy, clusters.
“The militants can be seen moving between houses and bringing up ammunition. It’s immediately obvious where the civilians are and where the military are. Nowadays there are such reconnaissance means that you can see right down to the chevron.”
The statement continued: “The scouts passed on target designation to the tank platoon. The crew moved towards the carefully camouflaged vehicle. The T-80BV fired from a closed firing position.”
The commander said: “A tank is a mobile transport. We can easily change positions. The projectile’s flight speed is much higher. And it’s more difficult for the enemy to detect us.”
The statement said: “At some point during the operation of the tank, the enemy, using electronic warfare equipment, tried to influence our reconnaissance drone, which was adjusting the fire of the combat vehicle, but the drone operator managed to control it and carried out the adjustment until the end.
“Wherever the enemy moves, reconnaissance officers are among the first to know about it and transmit its coordinates to the command.
“Additional security for tankers is provided by a cover group that monitors the airspace and is ready to repel an attack by saboteurs.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
