This footage purports to show camouflaged Ukrainian positions being taken out in a series of blasts as drones launched by the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic spot them from the air and drop bombs on them.
Zenger News obtained the footage from the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic on August 24. The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) is a pro-Russia breakaway state that occupies much of and claims the entirety of Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine.
The People’s Militia of the DPR said in a statement: “The Sparta Battalion burns the Nazis from the air. Fighters of the Sparta Battalion destroy the weapons and personnel of the enemy with the help of attack unmanned aerial vehicles. Among the targets hit is a modern Ukrainian ‘Stugna’ anti-tank missile system.”
The Sparta Battalion is the DPR’s special forces unit. It has been accused of war crimes in the Donbas region and has been described as “Russian ultranationalist.” The Stugna-P is a Ukrainian anti-tank-guided missile system developed by the Luch Design Bureau in Kyiv. It entered service in 2011.
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 calling a “special military operation”. Thursday marks the 183rd day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and August 25, Russia had lost about 45,850 personnel, 1,929 tanks, 4,245 armored combat vehicles, 1,037 artillery units, 272 multiple launch rocket systems, 148 air defense systems, 234 warplanes, 202 helicopters, 828 drones, 196 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,160 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 99 units of special equipment.
A Russian rocket strike on a train station in the town of Chaplyne in eastern Ukraine on August 24 killed 25 people, Ukrainian officials have said. Two boys aged six and 11 are among the dead while 31 people were wounded in the attack, which took place on Ukraine’s Independence Day, said officials.
The World Health Organization has reported 473 verified attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began, killing nearly 100.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on August 24, said: “Ukraine can and will win this war.”
The outgoing PM promised Kyiv a $63-million military package that will include 200 drones and loitering munitions. U.S. President Joe Biden has also announced nearly $3 billion in new military aid to Ukraine.
The U.K. imported no fuel from Russia in June for the first time since records began 25 years ago. Official data are showing a 97 percent fall in imports of Russian goods largely driven by sanctions on Moscow in response to the invasion.
Ukrainian officials rejected a message of congratulations from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Ukraine’s Independence Day. On his website, the authoritarian leader wished Ukrainians “peaceful skies, tolerance, courage, strength and success in restoring a decent life”.
President Lukashenko permitted Russian forces to stage part of the invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian territory in February.
