These images show a Russian soldier abandoning his tank and running for his life after being shelled by Ukrainian forces.
The video begins by showing Ukrainian soldiers in light vehicles apparently patrolling the front lines and looking for targets.
It then cuts to a Russian tank that can be seen driving along a rural road at speed. It is hit by Ukrainian ordnance, which causes a large explosion and smoke to begin gushing from the tank.
The tank can be seen continuing to drive on despite being damaged but it soon becomes clear that it is on fire.
The soldier piloting the tank then appears to decide to try and stash it, stopping on the road and beginning to reverse it. But the fire intensifies and the tank, on which a large white ‘Z’ can be seen, abruptly stops moving.
The ‘Z’ is one of the symbols, as well as the letters ‘V’ and ‘O’ that can be seen painted on Russian military vehicles taking part in the invasion of Ukraine.
A soldier can then be seen clambering out of the hatch and running for his life as the tank continues to burn.
The footage then cuts to some Ukrainian soldiers in another light vehicle. The four soldiers can be seen getting out, with one raising his arms to the camera as if to celebrate the victory as the footage ends.
The images were obtained from the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Friday, August 12, along with a short statement saying that the footage shows how the 93rd Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces “knocked out a tank”.
Zenger News contacted the head of the public relations service of the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major Fityo Volodymyr, who confirmed that the footage was authentic and that the information was accurate.
Zenger News also contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for a comment, but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
The images and information were also relayed by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Friday marks the 170th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and August 12, Russia had lost about 43,200 personnel, 1,849 tanks, 4,108 armored combat vehicles, 975 artillery units, 261 multiple launch rocket systems, 136 air defense systems, 233 warplanes, 193 helicopters, 778 drones, 185 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,021 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 90 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower, but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures. The Pentagon said this week that Russia had suffered between 70,000 and 80,000 casualties – deaths and injuries – since the beginning of its invasion.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky has urged officials to stop talking to the media about Kyiv’s military strategy, saying that such remarks are “frankly irresponsible”.
Zelensky’s comments came after news outlets began citing anonymous officials as saying that Ukraine was behind the explosions that destroyed the Saky base in Russian-occupied Crimea, despite the Ukrainian government declining to confirm whether it was responsible for the blasts.
President Zelensky has vowed to liberate Crimea and said: “This Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea – with its liberation.”
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is now unlikely to succeed in occupying Ukraine, saying that Russia’s invasion had “faltered” and was “starting to fail”.
Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov has said that Russia has doubled its air strikes on Ukrainian civilians and on military positions compared to last week.
The United Nations has urged for there to be a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – as Russia and Ukraine continue to accuse each other of shelling the facility.
A United States State Department spokesperson said on Thursday that the U.S. supports calls for there to be a demilitarized zone around the Zaporizhzhia plant.
Belarus has said that night-time explosions at one of its military bases, located some 20 miles from the Ukrainian border, had been caused by a “technical incident”.
