Ukrainian forces claimed they blew up a Russian tank, an infantry fighting vehicle, and a command vehicle, and claimed to have killed infantry, as can be seen from these images.
The images were obtained from the National Guard of Ukraine on Monday, July 4, along with a statement saying: “The artillery of the National Guard of Ukraine destroyed enemy tanks, a BMP, command and staff vehicles and [hit] enemy positions in the southern direction.”
A BMP is a Soviet-era amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, mounted on caterpillar tracks and typically fitted with a compact gun. It is not unlike a light tank.
It is unclear where exactly in Ukraine the images were filmed, but the National Guard of Ukraine also said: “We never tire of expelling the occupier from Ukrainian land. Let’s keep in line. The enemy will not pass – everything will be Ukraine. Believe in Ukrainian defenders. Together we will win!”
The images and the statement were also relayed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
We contacted the National Guard of Ukraine for further comment, as well as the Russian Ministry of Defense, but haven’t received a reply at the time of writing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation.” July 5 marks the 132nd day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and July 5, Russia had lost about 36,350 personnel, 1,594 tanks, 3,772 armored combat vehicles, 806 artillery units, 247 multiple launch rocket systems, 105 air defense systems, 217 warplanes, 187 helicopters, 660 drones, 144 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,634 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 65 units of special equipment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing his advantage after his forces captured the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, in the eastern Luhansk Oblast region, ordering Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to continue the offensive.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukrainian forces would retake the city “thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons.”
Luhansk’s regional governor Serhiy Haidai said that Ukraine’s troops have now moved to new fortified positions. He pleaded for more weapons from Ukraine’s allies to help fight Russia’s current advantage.
The Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast region in central-eastern Ukraine, Valentyn Reznichenko, has said that Russian forces targeted the region with seven missiles during the night of July 4-5, with Ukrainian forces downing six of them. The seventh missile hit a residential area and damaged homes, with no reports of casualties so far.
The strategically situated Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, which has Dnipro as its capital, borders the Kharkiv Oblast to the north, the Donetsk Oblast to the east, the Kherson Oblast to the south and the Mykolaiv Oblast to the west.
President Zelensky is negotiating with Turkey and the UN in a bid to secure guarantees for his country’s grain exports. The move comes after Turkish authorities detained a Russian cargo ship carrying grain allegedly stolen from Ukraine. The ship is said to contain over 7,000 tons of grain that Russian officials said would be sent to “friendly” countries.
He has said that third parties other than Russia are needed to guarantee that grain can be safely exported. It is believed that 22 million tons of grain are stuck in Ukraine due to Russia’s naval blockade of the country’s Black Sea ports.
NATO has said that Finland and Sweden completed accession talks at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Monday, July 4. NATO said: “Both countries formally confirmed their willingness and ability to meet the political, legal and military obligations and commitments of NATO membership.”
NATO has appointed Army General Christopher G. Cavoli as its new Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. He speaks Russian and has a master’s degree from Yale in Russian studies.
The leaders of dozens of countries, as well as international organizations and companies gathered in Lugano, in Switzerland, for a Ukraine Recovery Conference to elaborate a “Marshall Plan” roadmap to rebuild the country after the war. Ukrainian President Zelensky said in a virtual address that Russia’s war “is not just an attempt to seize our land and destroy our state, but also a worldview confrontation.”
He also said that rebuilding Ukraine provides the opportunity “to show why freedom is mightier than tyranny.”
