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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Will Stewart & Benjamin Lynch

Drone footage shows Russian soldiers thrown off fleeing tank before smashing into tree

A remarkable video claims to show a Russian tank fleeing in panic and crashing into a tree.

The tank in the footage is shown throwing troops perched on top of it onto the road and spinning into the dirt. As the tank hits the tee, it falls on the troops remaining on its hull.

The footage, taken from a drone, was released by the Ukrainian armed forces.

The incident might not do much for the image of Vladimir Putin's Russian troops in Ukraine, who appear to be suffering a humiliating Ukrainian advance after Kyiv set a counteroffensive into motion.

Further unconfirmed reports also appear to show a captured 'Russian general'. The video has not been confirmed by Russia or Ukraine, but shows a man believed to be Colonel General Andrei Sychevoi.

Troops were left spinning off onto the road (Social media/EAST2WEST NEWS)

Military analyst Rob Lee said: "Russian Telegram channels are already [pointing] the finger at Lieutenant General Sychevoi who is the 'West' group commander responsible for this area."

Elsewhere, unconfirmed reports say that Ukraine has retaken or is in the process of retaking the towns of Lyman, Kupiansk and Izium.

A region official 'confirmed' that Kupiansk had been captured from Russian invaders but this was not backed up by government officials.

Izium, a strategically key town which Russia has used as a launch pad for its operations towards Donetsk, also had conflicting reports.

Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko said on Twitter : "Ukrainian forces entered Izum, the strategic town in Kharkiv region. Unbelievable. In spring Russians spent 1 month to take it. Now it took [half a day] to liberate it."

Goncharenko also said Lyman had been taken.

Fellow MP Inna Sovsun added: "I don’t have the full info on counteroffensive in Kharkiv region. But there are rumours that our military are now fighting for Izyum, Kupyansk, Lyman."

"I'm sure that we'll return them."

The tank eventually went straight into a tree (Social media/EAST2WEST NEWS)

In its intelligence report on Saturday, September 10, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russia had been surprised by the counteroffensive.

"A Russian force around Izium is likely increasingly isolated. Ukrainian units are now threatening the town of Kupiansk; its capture would be a significant blow to Russia because it sits on supply routes to the Donbas front line.

"With Ukrainian operations also continuing in Kherson, the Russian defensive front is under pressure on both its northern and southern flanks."

Zelensky said 30 settlements had so far been liberated (MYKOLA TYS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Russia has sent reinforcements to the Kharkiv region to try and stop the counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that 30 settlements had been liberated.

He said: "Measures to check and secure the territory in some villages of the region are ongoing, we are gradually taking control of new settlements - we are returning the Ukrainian flag and protection for all our people everywhere."

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