Russian Tanks Destroyed As Conflict In Eastern Ukraine Continues – Video footage of Russian tanks somewhere in eastern Ukraine shows how Russian soldiers recently abandoned their stations, leaving behind various pieces of military equipment.
The video, shared on many social media platforms but most notably on Ukraine Weapons Tracker, shows two Russian tanks destroyed by Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade and later abandoned at their old position.
Ukraine Weapons Tracker identified one vehicle as a Russian T-72B series tank as well as an MT-LB armored vehicle and noted that there were two other unidentified tanks abandoned at the scene.
A keen observer of the conflict in Ukraine noted that one of the tanks seen in the video was in fact a T-90M. The Twitter user noted the “boxy auxiliary power unit” at the rear of the tank. The observation was also confirmed by the Ukraine Weapons Tracker admin, who added that it would be the second T-90M documented in footage like this.
Fighting Intensifies in Donetsk
Fighting in Russia’s eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk has intensified in recent weeks – and after Russia successfully took control of Luhansk Oblast, several major artillery strikes have caused civilian deaths in Donetsk Oblast to the south.
Ukrainian officials confirmed on Monday how a Russian artillery strike that hit an apartment building in Donetsk over the weekend killed at least 29 people.
#Ukraine: The Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade destroyed one more Russian T-72B series tank and an MT-LB armoured vehicle during recent fighting in the East. 2 more tanks appear to be abandoned also. pic.twitter.com/6SPFh1re2J
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) July 10, 2022
The building, located in the town of Chasiv Yar, was struck by Russian missiles on Saturday night as Russian troops sought to gain ground in the neighboring region. It comes as Russia attempts to achieve its stated goal of “liberating” the two separatist regions of Ukraine.
“As of now around 72% of the rubble has been cleared,” Donetsk’s regional military administration leader Pavlo Kyrylenko told the press on Monday.
24-year-old resident Ludmila told Reuters how local people were forced to take shelter in the basement all night.
“We ran to the basement, there were three hits, the first somewhere in the kitchen,” Ludmila told Reuters. “The second, I do not even remember, there was lightning, we ran towards the second entrance and then straight into the basement. We sat there all night until this morning.”
It follows a strike in a Ukrainian shopping mall in Kremenchuk, which killed at least 19 people. On July 1, another Russian strike hit a multi-story apartment building and killed a further 21 civilians, including at least two children.
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.
