This footage reportedly shows Ukrainian troops laying waste to a Russian mortar and ammo depot to protect civilians being targeted by the invaders in Donetsk.
The footage shows numerous explosions as the base, apparently located in a forested area of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, is destroyed piece by piece. The mortar can also be seen being marked out on-screen in the footage (in Ukrainian).
The footage was obtained from the 54th Mechanized Brigade K2 Battle Group of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, on Wednesday, August 17, along with a tongue-in-cheek statement saying (in Ukrainian): “Greetings, dear Ukrainian ladies and gentlemen!
“We continue to show you another trip of uninvited ‘tourists’ who got lost on the outskirts of the Ukrainian city of Marinka, Donetsk region.
“Now the unfortunate ‘tourists’ brought a deadly 120 mm pipe to our country and began to pelt the military and even more civilians with heavy iron from it.
“The guys from the K2 intelligence group started work with their famous comrades.”
They added that the “tourists” and the mortar had “received a ticket to the concert of their favorite singer Kobzon! Glory to Ukraine!”
Iosif Davydovich Kobzon was a Russian singer, known for his crooner style, who died in 2018.
The images were relayed by the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zenger News contacted the 54th Mechanized Brigade for further comment, as well as the Russian Ministry of Defense, but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is still calling a “special military operation”. Thursday marks the 176th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and August 18, Russia had lost about 44,300 personnel, 1,889 tanks, 4,179 armored combat vehicles, 1,010 artillery units, 265 multiple launch rocket systems, 136 air defense systems, 234 warplanes, 197 helicopters, 793 drones, 190 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,061 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 93 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 last week that Russia had suffered between 70,000 and 80,000 casualties – deaths and injuries – since the beginning of its invasion.
Russia has replaced the head of its Black Sea fleet, Admiral Igor Osipov, 49, with a new commander, Vice-Admiral Viktor Sokolov, 60, according to Russian state-owned news agency RIA. The move comes after a series of explosions at three locations, including an airbase, an ammunition depot and an airfield, in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense has said that China is sending troops to Russia to take part in joint military exercises that are “unrelated to the current international and regional situation”.
On Wednesday, Ukraine performed disaster response drills near the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – following repeated shelling.
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak, 50, has said that the main bridge that connects Crimea to Russia must be “dismantled”. Podolyak called the bridge an “illegal object”, adding that it “must therefore be dismantled. Not important how – voluntary or not.”
Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, Oleksii Reznikov, 56, has said that his country had not lost any U.S.-supplied HIMARS systems, contradicting Russian claims.
