See For Yourself: Carnage In Donetsk – As Ukrainian forces reportedly remain stuck in a “fierce” battle with Russian soldiers in the contested Donetsk region of Ukraine, several videos shared online in recent days show a series of successful Ukrainian strikes that show Russian forces on the back foot.
This week, the Moscow Times reported how both sides in Donetsk claimed to have taken control over a small administrative center, consisting of apartment blocks, close to the village of Pavlivka in Donetsk.
Russian-appointed Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin claimed that the Russian “encirclement” of the area “solves many problems” and that it has become a “very important success” for the Russians.
Kyiv, however, said that the town is not yet under Russian control.
It’s hard to know who’s telling the truth, too, as this has happened before.
Russian forces recently claimed to have taken control of Soledar, a strategically important town close to the embattled city of Bakhmut, also in Donetsk Oblast.
Kyiv pushed back against the claim, however, and insisted that the town was still contested.
Ukraine Destroys Russian BMP Infantry Fighting Vehicles
In one video shared by Ukraine Weapons Tracker on January 28, three Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicles, and at least one extra military vehicle, can be seen destroyed on the battlefield. The video shows the vehicles moving along dirt roads, only to be intercepted by artillery fire from Ukraine’s 110th Mechanized Brigade.
The vehicles are left in states of total disrepair, erupting into mushroom clouds of white smoke and fire. Some parts of the video also appear to show Russian soldiers attempting to flee after a Ukrainian strike narrowly misses them.
Ukraine Weapons Tracker reports that the video was recorded near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast.
“The Ukrainian 110th Mechanized Brigade destroyed three BMP IFV and at least one other armored vehicle of the Russian Army in the vicinity of Avdiivka, #Donetsk Oblast,” the post reads.
Russian Tank Destroyed
In another video shared by a Ukrainian non-profit organization known as “Back And Alive,” a Russian T-80BVM tank is seen being taken out by the Ukrainian 72nd Mechanized Brigade close to Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast.
The video shows the tank erupting into flames, with thick brown smoke billowing out of the top. The video appears to have been recorded by a rotary-blade unmanned aerial vehicle.
“And to the good news. The Russians have minus two tanks in the Vugledar area,” the non-profit group writes.
MORE: Why Putin Fears the M1 Abrams Tank
MORE: I Went to War in the Leopard 2 Tank Ukraine Wants
MORE: World War III – Where Could It Start?
MORE: A U.S.-China War Over Taiwan Would Be Bloody
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.
