This footage shows Ukrainian air reconnaissance and National Guard artillery taking out a Russian ammunition warehouse and special forces units after spotting troops and military vehicles coming and going.
The footage begins with Russian soldiers coming and going from the building, reportedly located in the north of the Kharkiv region in north-eastern Ukraine, with a military vehicle sporting the infamous ‘Z’ symbol also seen in the images.
The ‘Z’ is one of the symbols, as well as the letters ‘V’ and ‘O’ that can be seen painted on Russian military vehicles taking part in the invasion of Ukraine.
The area can then be seen being repeatedly bombed by Ukrainian ordnance, reducing the building to rubble. The Ukrainian side reportedly had the support of tanks as well.
The images were obtained from the Eastern Operational-Territorial Unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, on Monday, August 8, along with a statement saying: “We start the week with good news! In the north of Kharkiv Oblast, a Russian ‘special unit’ flew into the air.
“Air reconnaissance and artillery of the National Guard and the Armed Forces, with the support of tanks, sent Russian special forces and a warehouse with ammunition to hell in the north of the Kharkiv region.
“Scouts discovered the base of a unit of the Russian occupation forces. Later, they recorded them unloading artillery ammunition. The guards gave the coordinates of the target to our gunners, after which they adjusted their fire.
“The UAV camera recorded the wonderful results of the act of ‘goodwill’ of the uninvited guests from fascist Russia. At the same time, the planned demilitarization of the artillery ammunition warehouse carefully hidden in the hangar, which we will definitely rebuild after the defeat of the Kremlin’s hordes in Ukraine, took place.”
The mention of Russian ‘goodwill’ is a reference to how Ukrainian forces forced the Russians to abandon Snake Island, with the Kremlin then claiming – to widespread derision – that they had in fact left as a “gesture of goodwill”.
Ukraine’s military added at the time that the Russians had fled the island in speedboats on June 30 after being hit by a barrage of Ukrainian missile strikes and artillery.
Zenger News contacted the Eastern Operational-Territorial Unit 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 calling a “special military operation”. Monday marks the 166th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and August 8, Russia had lost about 42,340 personnel, 1,811 tanks, 4,070 armored combat vehicles, 960 artillery units, 261 multiple launch rocket systems, 132 air defense systems, 223 warplanes, 192 helicopters, 754 drones, 182 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,993 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 86 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower, but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukrainian and British military authorities have said that Russia is fortifying its positions and the number of its troops on the southern front in Ukraine, either in preparation of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive or preparing themselves to attack.
The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom said: “Russian troops are almost certainly amassing in the south, either waiting for a Ukrainian counteroffensive or preparing to attack. Long convoys of Russian military trucks, tanks, artillery and other things continue to move from the Donbas to the southwest.”
Ukraine and Russia have blamed each other for the repeated shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has called for new international sanctions on Russia, accusing it of “nuclear terror”.
The UN’s nuclear watchdog has called for all military actions near the nuclear power plant to cease after it was hit by shelling on Saturday night. The shelling reportedly caused a reactor to shut down, creating a “very real risk of a nuclear disaster”.
The Ukrainian military has said that Russia shelled dozens of towns in eastern and southern Ukraine, along the front lines, on Saturday.
The Ukrainian military also said that Russian forces tried to carry out attacks in six different areas of the Donetsk region but did not manage to gain any territory after being successfully held back by Ukrainian troops.
President Zelensky on Sunday that negotiations with Russia would not be possible if it proceeds with carrying out ‘referendums’ in occupied areas of Ukraine.
Four more ships carrying grain and food left Black Sea ports in Ukraine on Sunday. The first grain ship exporting food from Ukraine under a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations reached Turkey on August 2 after setting out from Odesa.
Amnesty International has apologized for the “distress and anger” caused by a report that accused Ukraine of endangering civilians.
The move comes after the head of Amnesty Ukraine Oksana Pokalchuk said that she was resigning because she was against the report being published, arguing that Amnesty International had “created material that sounded like support for Russian narratives of the invasion”.
Ukraine’s chief war crimes prosecutor has said that the country is investigating nearly 26,000 cases of suspected Russian war crimes.
