Night Vision Footage Shows Russian Convoy Destroyed In Eastern Ukraine – Video footage aired by CNN shows an attack on a Russian convoy somewhere in eastern Ukraine.
The footage, recorded by a night-vision camera, shows Russian fighting vehicles completely obliterated by Ukrainian strikes, with the turret of one tank torn completely from the hull.
The night vision recording shows roughly half a dozen Russian vehicles in the distance, with the vehicle apparently leading the convoy first to fall victim to the Ukrainian strike.
The recording shows a large explosion that sent large quantities of debris flying into the air.
Much of the material seen in the air, which is only visible because of the heat from both the tanks and the explosion, is likely to consist of explosive reactive armor on the vehicles as well as other parts of the tank and the rocket used to create the explosion.
Footage recorded by a Ukrainian drone shows the aftermath of the strike in more detail, with large pieces of warped metal left lying on the ground. The vehicles are barely recognizable.
Is Russia’s New Offensive Already Lagging?
NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel argued on February 20 that Russia’s new offensive in eastern Ukraine, which appears to already be underway, is already lagging. Engel noted that the offensive is more gradual than expected.
“It is not the kind of offensive like we saw a year ago,” Engel said. “A year ago it was clear Russian forces were inside Russia one day, a hundred and ninety thousand troops, all the while Russian officials say that they would never invade. I was just listening to a clip from [Kremlin spokesman Dmitry] Peskov, a year ago today, saying had never invaded any country and it would never contemplate doing such a thing, and Russian officials were at large saying that they would never invade. And then, of course, cross the border and launch the biggest ground assault since World War II.”
“So, it could have been very different,” he continued, adding that the new offensive – the second attempt by Russia to take control of Ukraine – is “much more gradual.”
Engel added that, unlike in the initial invasion, troops are advancing slowly behind artillery and are not seeing much success.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also said on Thursday, February 23, that Russian forces had conducted eight unsuccessful offensive operations in just one day alone.
According to the General Staff, failed offensives were launched in just the last 24 hours in the Shakhtarsk, Adiivka, Lyman, and Kupiansk sectors.
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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.
