This footage shows Ukrainian troops blowing a Russian tank to smithereens with an American-made Javelin anti-tank guided missile on the eastern front.
The images show a massive explosion as the Russian tank is blown to pieces, with a huge fireball erupted in black smoke gushing into the sky before images that have been captured by a drone show the remains of the Russian tank, reduced to a smoldering wreck.
The images were obtained from the 30th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, which is also known as the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Konstantin Ostrozhsky, on Friday, August 26, along with a statement saying: “An enemy tank is on fire. And I like how it burns.”
Ukrainian media reported that a Javelin anti-tank guided missile had been used to destroy the Russian tank. The Javelin anti-tank missile system has reportedly been proving decisive in destroying Russian tanks. The U.S. has said that it has supplied thousands of weapons to Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Zenger News contacted the head of the public relations service of the Ground Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major Fityo Volodymyr, who confirmed that the footage was authentic and that the information was accurate. Major Fityo told Zenger News that the images had been shot on Ukraine’s eastern front.
Zenger News also contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for a comment, 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”. Monday marks the 184th day of the war.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and August 29, Russia had lost about 47,100 personnel, 1,947 tanks, 4,269 armored combat vehicles, 1,060 artillery units, 279 multiple launch rocket systems, 149 air defense systems, 234 warplanes, 203 helicopters, 844 drones, 196 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,188 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 101 units of special equipment.
Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower, but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he held a secret meeting with representatives from the country’s defense and security sectors on Sunday, adding: “All the issues we considered are important, but secret, I cannot go into detail.”
The meeting was reportedly attended by armed forces chiefs, the heads of the intelligence agencies, representatives from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, and others.
Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that Russian forces had shelled Ukrainian towns across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with artillery.
Oleksandr Starukh, the Governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, said that Russian forces had hit civilian infrastructure in the city of Zaporizhzhia and in the town of Orikhiv, to the east.
The International Atomic Energy Agency is waiting for its officials to receive clearance so they can visit the plant. But Ukrainian Energy Minister Lana Zerkal has said she is not convinced that Russia is negotiating in good faith.
The United States’ State Department has said in a statement that Russia does not want to acknowledge the grave radiological risk at the nuclear power plant, adding that it was the reason it has blocked the final draft of a nuclear non-proliferation treaty deal.
Ukraine is set to experience its coldest winter in decades, according to the head of the state gas company Naftogaz, Yurii Vitrenko. Germany has said that it is replenishing its gas stocks faster than expected despite Russian supply cuts.
The European Union’s foreign ministers are expected to make it harder for Russian tourists to get visas as of next week. The move falls short of banning Russian tourists outright, but it is expected to make obtaining travel documents significantly more complicated and costly.
