Vladimir Putin has turned to deploying his ‘Terminator tanks’ in Ukraine for the first time as his invasion continues to stall.
Videos show the much-feared urban warfare armoured vehicles reportedly in the Donbas, where fighting in Ukraine is now centred.
The deployment comes after Russia has suffered significant losses of its tanks at the hands of Ukrainian forces so far.
The capture of Russian tanks was so common that the Ukrainian government had to issue instructions on how to hand them over to the authorities to make sure ordinary Ukrainians weren't driving them round.
This comes as Ukraine has said it destroyed Russian tanks using British-made Brimstone missiles for the first time.
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In the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, the terminator tanks were seen amassing near the Ukrainian border .
The move came shortly after Russia had said it would pull troops back from the border, and before Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine three days later.
Newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta confirmed “a platoon of Terminator tank support vehicles was used for the first time in battle in the Donbas”.
The BMPTs - or tank support combat vehicles as they are designated - were seen near Severodonetsk in Luhansk region.
“They are involved in the fire destruction of Ukrainian positions, armoured vehicles, and crews of anti-tank missile systems,” a defence source told state news agency RIA Novosti.
The vehicles are equipped with grenade launchers, anti-tank systems and small arms, and were nicknamed Terminator by its manufacturers Uralvagonzavod.
They saw action in Syria and it is unclear why Putin’s generals have delayed its deployment until now.
One theory is that his beleaguered commanders do not trust it to be as all-conquering as its name suggests.
Pro-Russian war reporter Alexander Sladkov posted: “Thank God we are starting to use Terminators.
“There might be issues and mistakes, but practice is everything.”
In the videos, a steady stream of the tanks can be seen rolling by along the residential street in Ukraine.
This all comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues into its 83rd day.
After Russia's initial push to seize Ukraine's cities and urban centres, Russia quickly found its progress stalling in the face of tougher than expected resistance.
After weeks of their forces stalling outside of Kyiv, but unable to penetrate the Ukrainian capital, Russia pulled back and regrouped in the Donbas in the east of the country, where fighting is now focused.
Mariupol has been one of the flashpoints of fighting, and the city where Russia has made the most progress.
Ukrainian forces made their last stand in the Azovstal steel and iron works in the city.
However, in the last 24 hours reports emerging from the city seem to suggest that the fighters have surrendered but their fate is unknown.
