Ukrainian intelligence has said that the country’s special forces have blown up two Russian armoured personnel carriers and three trucks over the last few days, as this footage reportedly shows.
The images begin with what appears to be a peaceful countryside, with the footage apparently filmed from a drone and showing a field of sunflowers – the country’s national flower – somewhere in Ukraine.
The footage then cuts to images of what appear to be Russian military vehicles being destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
The footage shows the vehicles filmed from above as they are apparently bombed by attack drones. The footage then shows other Russian military vehicles being destroyed by other means.
Some of the Russian vehicles can be seen sporting the now infamous ‘Z’ symbol on them. The ‘Z’, as well as the letters ‘V’ and ‘O’, is one of the symbols that can be seen painted on Russian military vehicles taking part in the invasion of Ukraine.
The footage was obtained from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Sunday, 31st July, along with a statement saying: “The Russians sat in the bushes and thought that no one would find them…
“But they did not pass the ‘disguise exam’ – thanks to the soldiers of the Special Operations Centre ‘A’ of the SBU, these invaders have now blended into the landscape definitively.
“In just a few days, our special forces destroyed two enemy armoured personnel carriers, three ‘Urals’ with strike drones, and also adjusted the artillery fire according to the calculations of Russian mortars.
“We will remind you that recently the Central Security Service ‘A’ of the SBU, in cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, ‘destroyed’ two Russian SU-25s.
“We continue to work until complete victory! Glory to Ukraine!”
‘Urals’ are understood to be a reference to the Russian-built Ural general purpose 6×6 off-road trucks used by the Russian military and first designed by the Soviet Union, entering production in the late 1970s.
Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation”. Today marks the 159th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 1st August, Russia had lost about 41,030 personnel, 1,768 tanks, 4,011 armoured combat vehicles, 932 artillery units, 259 multiple launch rocket systems, 117 air defence systems, 223 warplanes, 190 helicopters, 736 drones, 174 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,912 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 82 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower, but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy head of military intelligence, has said that Russia is moving large numbers of soldiers to the south of the country in a bid to take up defensive positions ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive to retake territory occupied by Russian forces since the beginning of the invasion.
Skibitsky said: “They are increasing their troop numbers, preparing for our counteroffensive [in southern Ukraine] and perhaps preparing to launch an offensive of their own.”
Ukraine’s Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporary Occupied Territories has urged hundreds of thousands of civilians to evacuate frontline areas of the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
The ministry said: “They need to be evacuated, you cannot put them in mortal danger in the winter without heating, light, without the ability to keep them warm.”
The southern Ukrainian port city of Mykolaiv was hit by Russian strikes early on Sunday morning in what Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has described as “probably the most brutal” attack on the city since the beginning of the war.
Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych also said that the missile strikes were probably the heaviest Russian bombardments of the city so far.
One of the richest men in Ukraine, Oleksiy Vadatursky, 74, and his wife, Raisa, were killed when a missile hit their home in Mykolaiv. Vadatursky, who had received the “Hero of Ukraine” award, owned Nibulon, a company that is involved in exporting grain and was reportedly worth USD 450 million in 2020, according to Forbes.
The first ship carrying grain has left the Ukrainian port of Odesa as part of a landmark deal between Ukraine and Russia and overseen by Turkey and the United Nations.
The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which was established as part of the deal, said the ship was carrying approximately 26,000 tonnes of corn and is expected to arrive in Turkish waters on Tuesday for inspection.
