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‘Thunder and Fire’: Watch Ukraine’s Artillery Strikes On Russian Tanks

Ukraine Video
Image of Ukraine launching an artillery strike. Image Credit: Twitter Screenshot.

Video footage shared this week by Ukraine’s 40th Artillery Brigade this week shows Ukrainian artillery strikes on multiple Russian positions, including a Russian tank and MT-LB.

The footage, which was uploaded to Facebook, shows armored vehicles hidden in the trees somewhere in Ukraine. The vehicles are hit with Ukrainian artillery one after another, leaving behind burning vehicles and large plumes of black smoke billowing out of the brush.

The footage appears to have been recovered from a rotary UAV. The video footage is below and some may find it disturbing.

“THUNDER AND FIRE!” the Facebook post reads. “Demilitarization goes clearly according to plan.”

Close-up footage at the end of the video shows a birds-eye view of the wreckage, with destroyed tanks left burning in the trees.

No other information was provided indicating where the strikes took place, though assuming that the footage is recent, it likely took place in the eastern Donbas region where combat has intensified in recent weeks and months.

What’s the Latest In Donbas, Ukraine?

While the footage proves that Ukraine has seen some successes in the region lately, the situation isn’t ideal for Ukraine. Not only did Russian forces take control of Severodonetsk, a Luhansk Oblast city within the Donbas, but a Ukrainian commander revealed recently how an elite Ukrainian marines unit lost 80% of its soldiers fighting in the region.

Speaking to Sky News, the Ukrainian military commander – referred to only as Oleksandr – said that his unit was made up entirely of professional soldiers with years of experience.

“Now, 80% are incapacitated from serious injuries or death,” he told the outlet, adding that his team has been fighting together for the last four years.

Asked if the Ukrainian military in the area can sustain losses of this severity for much longer, Oleksandr said that it was “hard” but that they “have no choice.”

On the flip side, however, Ukrainian forces have in recent days stopped several Russian advances in the region.

Reports described how multiple Ukrainian units “uncovered and neutralized” a Russian reconnaissance and sabotage group near Spirne and Yakolivka, and stopped an additional assault in Klynove. Russian troops also reportedly withdrew after failing to make advances in Vershyna and Berestove.

Ukrainian units also blocked attempted advances by the Russian near Mariinka.

While Russian missiles did also strike the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv last week, those strikes have remained consistently sparse since March – with most strikes taking place in the Donbas to the east. Fighting in the region is expected to continue as Russia makes slow and steady progress, inching closer toward achieving the Kremlin’s goal of “liberating” the region from Ukrainian rule.

Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

Written By

Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive's Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.

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