These images show Ukrainian artillery taking out a Russian military truck on the battlefield.
The footage, which appears to have been filmed from a drone, begins by showing the Russian military truck on a dirt track between a forest and a field.
The video then shows Ukrainian artillery opening fire, with the truck then seen being hit and destroyed in a huge explosion.
The images were obtained from the 40th Separate Artillery Brigade named after Grand Duke Vytautas of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Thursday, 1st June, along with a statement saying: “The Ural Orcs were destroyed.
“Joint work of gunners of the Grand Duchy Brigade and brothers from the 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade!”
The images and statement were also relayed by the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukrainian troops often refer to the invading Russian forces as “orcs”.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 463rd day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 1st June 2023, Russia had lost about 208,370 personnel, 3,804 tanks, 7,478 armoured combat vehicles, 3,474 artillery units, 575 multiple launch rocket systems, 333 air defence systems, 313 warplanes, 298 helicopters, 3,131 drones, 1,107 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 6,239 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 458 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said that negotiating peace may need to take priority over ensuring Russian President Vladimir Putin goes on trial for war crimes.
Speaking in Bratislava, Macron said: “If in a few months to come, you have a window for negotiation with the existing Russian political power, the question you will have is an arbitrage between a trial and a negotiation.
“And you will have to negotiate with the leaders you have, de facto, even if the day after you will have to judge them in front of international justice.
He added: “Otherwise you can put yourselves just in an impossible situation where you say ‘I want you to go to jail but you are the only ones I can negotiate with’.”
The French President also said that NATO should offer Ukraine “tangible and credible” security guarantees, adding that it was in the interests of Western powers to do so as Ukraine “is today protecting Europe”.
NATO members are set to meet in Lithuania in July to discuss Ukraine’s membership in the alliance.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has said that a new USD 300 million arms package for Ukraine should not be used for attacks inside Russia.
He said: “We have been very clear with the Ukrainians privately – we’ve certainly been clear publicly – that we do not support attacks inside Russia.”
Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesperson for the German government, has said that Ukraine has the right to attack Russian territory as this qualifies as self-defence.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said that Russia does not plan to declare martial law following Tuesday’s drone attack on Moscow.
The head of Russia’s notorious Wagner mercenary organisation, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has reportedly said that he has asked prosecutors to look into “crimes” that may have been committed by senior Russian defence officials prior to and during the invasion of Ukraine.
Russia has claimed to have destroyed Ukraine’s last major warship, the Yuri Olefirenko, in the port of Odesa. Ukraine has not commented.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said that the UK is Moscow’s “eternal enemy”.
He added that any British officials who had facilitated the war in Ukraine could be considered legitimate targets.
