This footage allegedly shows members of the People’s Militia of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) training to use rocket launchers, machine guns and tanks.
The People’s Militia of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) claimed in a statement on Friday, August 19, that the images show “servicemen of the NM DPR continue to improve their effectiveness at the training grounds of the Republic”.
The so-called DPR also claimed: “At the training grounds of the Republic, training, combat coordination of units and practical development of the acquired knowledge in conditions of imitation of urban battles are taking place in order to increase the efficiency of units participating in the Special Military Operation.”
We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.
Zenger News contacted the People’s Militia for further comment, as well as the Ukrainian and Russian Ministries 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”. Friday marks the 177th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and August 19, Russia had lost about 44,700 personnel, 1,899 tanks, 4,195 armored combat vehicles, 1,016 artillery units, 266 multiple launch rocket systems, 141 air defense systems, 234 warplanes, 197 helicopters, 795 drones, 190 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,130 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 94 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.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has confirmed that China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will both attend the G 20s summit in Bali in November.
Ukraine’s military intelligence has warned that Russian forces may be preparing to stage a “provocation” at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that he is “gravely concerned” about the situation at the nuclear power plant – Europe’s largest – and has called on the Russian military to urgently withdraw from the site. He added: “We must tell it like it is – any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide.”
The Kharkiv regional governor, Oleh Synehubov, has said that at least 17 people were killed and 42 injured in two separate Russian strikes on Kharkiv before dawn on Thursday.
Four explosions reportedly hit an area near a major Russian military airport in Crimea on Thursday. Russia has so far denied that any damage was done.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine has not changed its stance on potential peace negotiations with Russia, saying that talks with Russia would only be possible if Moscow’s forces withdrew from illegally occupied territory.
“The heavy attrition of Russian Main Battle Tanks in Ukraine is highly likely partially due to Russia’s failure to fit and properly employ adequate Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA)”, British intelligence said in a statement on Thursday, August 18.
The statement also said: “Used correctly, ERA degrades the effectiveness of incoming projectiles before they hit the tank. This suggests that Russian forces have not rectified a culture of poor ERA use, which dates back to the First Chechen War in 1994.”
