These images show Ukrainian forces taking out a Russian drone launch position in a forested area near Lyman with artillery.
The footage shows the Russian position after it was spotted by a Ukrainian drone, with a Russian soldier seen emerging from what appears to be a dugout.
The location can then be seen being targeted by Ukrainian artillery.
The images were obtained from the State Border Service of Ukraine on Thursday, 3rd August, along with a statement saying: “An air reconnaissance point was discovered and destroyed. As a bonus, the operator was liquidated.
“Ukrainian defenders discovered and destroyed an aerial reconnaissance point of the occupying forces in the Lyman direction. Border guards identified the location of enemy drone launches.
“They shared this information with their comrades in the Joint Forces, who subsequently targeted the object with artillery fire. As a result, the enemy operator has been eliminated.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February 2022 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 526th day of the full-scale war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 3rd August 2023, Russia had lost about 247,850 personnel, 4,224 tanks, 8,234 armoured combat vehicles, 4,892 artillery units, 704 multiple launch rocket systems, 465 air defence systems, 315 warplanes, 311 helicopters, 4,077 drones, 1,347 cruise missiles, 18 warships, 7,372 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 721 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
The Kyiv Regional Military Administration said today (Thursday) that the Ukrainian capital has defended itself against an eighth consecutive night of Russian drone attacks.
Hanna Maliar, the Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister, said that Russia had “tried quite persistently to halt our advance in the Bakhmut sector. Without success.”
Ukrainian officials also said that Russian forces had gained no ground along the frontlines but are deeply entrenched in the heavily mined areas under their control, making movement east and south challenging for Ukrainian troops.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s security council, said on Wednesday: “The number of mines on the territory that our troops have retaken is utterly mad. On average, there are three, four, five mines per square metre.”
He reiterated the position of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that their forces could not rush the counteroffensive at the cost of human lives.
He said: “No one can set deadlines for us, except ourselves… there is no fixed schedule.”
The European Union has reportedly warned developing countries that Russia is offering cheap grain “to create new dependencies by exacerbating economic vulnerabilities and global food insecurity.”
On Wednesday, Russia attacked one of Ukraine’s main ports, across the Danube River from Romania, sending global food prices higher.
Zelensky said that the attacks on Ukraine’s port’s infrastructure demonstrate that Moscow is attempting to create a “global catastrophe” and cause a crisis in food markets.
Zelensky said: “For the Russian state, this is not just a battle against our freedom and against our country.”
He added: “Moscow is waging a battle for a global catastrophe. In their madness, they need world food markets to collapse, they need a price crisis, they need disruptions in supplies.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to reopen talks on the Black Sea grain deal that Moscow pulled out from weeks ago a year after Turkey and the United Nations brokered it.
