This is the moment a Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle shoots at Russian positions in frenzied bursts of fire in a highly-contested area of the country.
The images were obtained on 15th June from Ukrainian Ground Forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, who wrote: “The 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade ‘Holodny Yar’ operates against Russian positions with a BMP-2 near Bahmut.”
The footage shows how the infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) retreats swiftly after firing furiously on Russian positions, which are not visible to the viewer.
The 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade “Holodny Yar” (“Cold Wind Ravine”) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces garrisoned in Cherkaske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The BMP-2 is a Soviet amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s. Current operators include both Russia and Ukraine.
Russia claimed to have fully taken Bahmut – also transliterated as “Bakhmut” – on 20th May, with Ukraine subsequently denying Moscow’s claim.
On 4th June, Wagner group founder and leader Yevgeny Prigozhin conceded that Ukrainian forces still controlled parts of the city along the T0504 highway.
The battle for Bakhmut, located in Donetsk Oblast, is ongoing. The city has been largely destroyed and most of its population has fled.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 478th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 15th June 2023, Russia had lost about 218,500 personnel, 3,965 tanks, 7,683 armoured combat vehicles, 3,812 artillery units, 606 multiple launch rocket systems, 364 air defence systems, 314 warplanes, 301 helicopters, 3,357 drones, 1,199 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 6,519 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 519 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukrainian General Staff spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun reports that Ukrainian forces have conducted successful offensives north and north-west of Bakhmut, with more than 30 clashes taking place on 15th June.
Ukrainian Ground Forces commander Oleksandr Syrskyi says that Russia continues to move its most capable units towards Bakhmut and continues to carry out air strikes on Ukrainian positions.
According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian troops are still carrying out offensives in a bid to gradually displace the Russian army from in and around the city.
According to the Deputy Chief of Ukraine’s General Staff, Oleksii Hromov, there are no signs of Russia preparing for another large-scale mobilisation.
Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on 14th June that the Ukrainian army is suffering fewer losses than Russia, “despite the fake news spread by the Russians suggesting otherwise”.
According to a statement from Ukraine’s National Resistance Centre, 150 children have been illegally taken from Luhansk Oblast to Prikubansky District, southern Russia.
At least 19,393 children are known to have been illegally taken to Russia since the start of the invasion.
