The war in Ukraine presses on and gets more dangerous by the second.
Social media continues to be a great source to get open-source intel on what is occurring.
Here is the latest in Ukraine we are seeing:
This week, video footage shared on social media shows a hidden Russian tank that was destroyed by Ukrainian artillery in Kherson Oblast.
The video, which appeared to have been recorded from a drone, shows a Russian tank hidden in the center of the remains of a residential building.
The tank is visibly damaged and emits smoke throughout the clip, and the size of the crater suggests that the tank is completely immobilized.
Russian forces appear to have deliberately hidden the tank within the building in the hopes that Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance units would not find the weapon.
The clip was shared by Ukraine Weapons Tracker, which is a popular war-tracking Twitter account.
“A hidden Russian tank was completely destroyed after being hit by Ukrainian artillery fire on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Hola Prystan, #Kherson Oblast,” a post accompanying the video reads.
The attack comes weeks after Ukrainian forces successfully landed on the east (left) bank of the Dnipro River, forcing some Russian units to retreat.
In late April, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian troops had established positions on the east bank of the river in Kherson Oblast.
The Latest In Kherson
Ukrainian Forces are still crossing the Dnipro River, but after three weeks, the Ukrainian military has not reported any more significant gains on the east bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region.
The Ukrainian Southern Forces Joint Press Center chief Nataliya Humenyuk acknowledged this month that the width of the river was making it difficult for Ukrainian forces to make gains in Kherson Oblast. Humenyuk also appeared to suggest that Ukrainian offensive activities in the Kherson direction have stalled.
Fighting throughout the Kherson region, however, continues. On Wednesday, May 17, at least four people, including one child, were killed in Russian strikes in Kherson and Donetsk Oblasts. The attacks were confirmed by the heads of both regions’ military administrations, Oleksandr Prokudin in Kherson and Pavlo Kyrylenko in Donetsk.
“Three people (including a child) were killed, eight more (including a child) were wounded due to Russian aggression,” Produkin said on Telegram.
Produkin added that 90 attacks were launched at targets in Kherson Oblast, with some 529 shells fired from aircraft, drones, tanks, heavy artillery, and multiple launch rocket systems. The strikes destroyed school buildings, stores, and other civilian infrastructure.
#Ukraine: A hidden Russian tank was completely destroyed after being hit by Ukrainian artillery fire on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Hola Prystan, #Kherson Oblast. pic.twitter.com/MD9gp3PDgw
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 18, 2023
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.
