These images purport to show Ukrainian paratroopers taking out two Russian tanks with Javelin missile systems.
The images appear to show one tank after it had been hit and a second one being destroyed.
It is currently unclear where exactly the images were filmed but they were obtained from the Command of the Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who said in a statement on Wednesday, June 15: “Soldiers of the 80th Separate Assault Brigade of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed two modern Russian T-90 ‘Vladimir’ tanks with a Javelin anti-aircraft missile system.”
The statement added: “We continue to perform combat missions and destroy Russian invaders! Death to the Russian occupiers!”
They signed off with the now-famous slogan “Slava Ukraini!”, which means “Glory to Ukraine!”
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 16 marks the 113th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and June 16, Russia had lost about 32,950 personnel, 1,449 tanks, 3,545 armored fighting vehicles, 729 artillery pieces, 233 multiple launch rocket systems, 97 air defense systems, 213 warplanes, 179 helicopters, 591 tactical drones, 129 cruise missiles, 13 warships, 2,494 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 55 pieces of special equipment.
In related news, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi are en route to Kyiv for talks. They are hoping to rebut what has been perceived as their lukewarm support for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Washington has told China it risks ending up on the “wrong side of history” following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s assurance to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Beijing supports Russian “sovereignty.”
Thousands of civilians remain trapped in the key eastern Ukrainian city of Sievierodonetsk, where the water supply is reported to be dwindling. Hundreds of civilians are taking shelter in the bunkers beneath the city’s Azot chemical plant.
Luhansk Oblast governor Serhiy Haidai said earlier this week that all three bridges into Sievierodonetsk had been destroyed, making delivering supplies and evacuating civilians impossible.
President Joe Biden has promised Kyiv another one billion dollars in security assistance and weapons. And General Mark Milley, who serves as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says Russia has lost around 20 to 30 percent of its armored forces during the ongoing invasion.
