Ukrainian soldiers blitzed a column of Russian tanks in rural Luhansk, as these images show.
The 24th Mechanized Brigade, named after King Danylo, of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, said they carried out the attack in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk Oblast.
The Ukrainian brigade said on July 9: “Artillerymen of the Royal Brigade broke up a column of Russian invaders.
“The video shows over a dozen Russian tanks and BMPs covered by our art in the Luhansk region. This column was first stopped and later destroyed.”
We contacted the 24th Mechanized Brigade 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 11 marks the 138th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and July 11, Russia had lost about 37,400 personnel, 1,645 tanks, 3,828 armored combat vehicles, 838 artillery units, 247 multiple launch rocket systems, 109 air defense systems, 217 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 676 drones, 155 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,696 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 66 units of special equipment.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia has only just begun its campaign in Ukraine and dared the West to attempt to defeat it on the battlefield.
Putin told parliamentary leaders: “Everyone should know that, by and large, we haven’t started anything yet in earnest.”
He added: “The further it goes, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us.”
Russia’s defense ministry has claimed that it killed Ukrainian servicemen who were trying to raise Ukraine’s flag on the recently retaken Snake Island but Ukraine has denied that any of its servicemen on the island were killed.
The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank, has said that Russia may be temporarily easing its offensive in eastern Ukraine in an “operational pause” as its forces rest before they attempt to reassemble for a new offensive.
Ukraine has summoned the ambassador of Turkey, claiming that Turkey has allowed a Russian ship carrying thousands of tonnes of grain allegedly stolen from Ukraine to leave exports to one of its ports. Kyiv alleges that the vessel is transporting stolen cargo amounting to 7,000 tons of grain.
The United Nations has warned of a “looming hunger catastrophe” due to Russia’s blockade on Ukrainian grain exports.
The resignation of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been met with sadness in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, most notably by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who called him a “true friend of Ukraine”.
However, Moscow reacted with delight at the demise of the British Prime Minister, with a Kremlin spokesperson saying: “He doesn’t like us. We don’t like him either.”
