These images reportedly show the moment Ukrainian troops pummel Russian soldiers while the latter tried to make progress in taking the Kharkiv region in north-eastern Ukraine.
The released footage, which appears to have been shot from a drone, reportedly shows Russian positions being repeatedly targeted and hit by Ukrainian artillery fire, with Ukrainians saying that they had also damaged Russian military equipment.
The images were obtained from the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security, which is part of the Ukrainian government, under the Ministry of Culture and Information, on the evening of Monday, June 20, with the Center saying: “Minus 23 occupiers! Successes of the Armed Forces in Kharkiv region.
“In the Kharkiv region, the enemy tried to carry out another attack, but received a decisive response from the Armed Forces.
“As a result of the joint work of fighters of the 92nd Mechanized Brigade, the 40th OABR and the 125th Terror Defense Battalion, on June 19, 23 ‘orcs’ were neutralized and more than 50 were wounded.”
Ukrainian forces regularly referred to Russian troops as “orcs.”
The Center also said: “The enemy also suffered losses in equipment, that was either neutralized or damaged: three T-72 tanks, three [Multiple Launch Rocket Systems] MLRS, BTR-80, BMP-2, and KAMAZ and radar stations.”
The Center signed off by saying: “Our defenders hold the line and inflict losses on the enemy! We believe in the Armed Forces!”
We contacted Russian and Ukrainian officials for comment but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation” to “liberate the Donbas.” June 21 marks the 118th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and June 21, Russia had lost about 34,100 personnel, 1,496 tanks, 3,606 armored combat vehicles, 752 artillery units, 239 multiple launch rocket systems, 98 air defense systems, 216 warplanes, 181 helicopters, 611 drones, 137 cruise missiles, 14 warships, 2,537 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 59 units of special equipment.
Russia has also conducted an anti-ship missile exercise in the Baltic Sea amid escalating tensions with NATO member Lithuania after the latter country blocked the transit of goods to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
The new head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, has told British forces that they need to be ready to face Russia on the battlefield and said the British Army now needs to be capable of defeating Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Ukraine’s southern frontline as Ukrainian forces mount a counterattack in the region to push back Russian troops.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the war in Ukraine could last years, adding that while the costs were high, the cost of allowing Russia to achieve its military goals would be even greater.
President Joe Biden has promised Kyiv another billion dollars in security assistance and weapons. And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, says Russia has lost around 20 to 30 percent of its armored force during the ongoing invasion.
Former Russian president and staunch Vladimir Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev has derided French, German, and Italian leaders visiting the Ukrainian capital Kyiv as “fans of frogs, liverwurst and spaghetti.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi held talks in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with President Zelenskyy on June 16.
President Zelenskyy said that a “historic week” has begun as Kyiv awaits a decision from Brussels regarding its EU candidate status.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on June 8, which recommended that the European Union grant Ukraine the status of candidate country for EU membership. Some 438 Members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the resolution, with 65 voting against and 94 abstaining.
Independent Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov has auctioned off his Nobel Peace Prize medal for 103.5 million dollars, with all the proceeds going to help Ukrainian refugees.
Muratov, 60, is the editor-in-chief of Russian independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, which he co-founded in 1993. The paper has regularly defied numerous threats and covered themes that make the Kremlin uneasy.
Novaya Gazeta has reported on Russian government corruption, human rights violations and police violence as well as published articles that are critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Muratov has been a vocal advocate for the freedom of the press and argued that it needs to remain independent from state influence.
