Belarus Shows Tank Practising Crossing River On Pontoon Bridge Amid Fears Of Invasion

These images purport to show a Belarusian tank crossing a river on a pontoon bridge amid fears that a second invasion of Ukraine could take place from Belarus.

The footage appears to show a Belarusian tank crossing a pontoon bridge in snowy conditions, with the images then showing a second and third piece of armour doing the same.

The images were obtained from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Belarus on Wednesday, 14th December, along with a statement claiming they show how "units of a mechanised brigade crossed the Neman River along a pontoon-bridge crossing".

The Belarusian MoD added that this was carried out "as part of a sudden check of combat readiness".

We have not been able to independently verify the claims or the footage.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said that his country's military forces are preparing for a potential second invasion by Russian forces via Belarus after the country held military drills near Ukraine's northern border in the last few days.

Reznikov said "we have to be concerned" because Belarus is not "a friendly neighbour".

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a "special military operation". Today marks the 294th day of the war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 15th December, Russia had lost about 96,590 personnel, 2,975 tanks, 5,946 armoured combat vehicles, 1,943 artillery units, 406 multiple launch rocket systems, 211 air defence systems, 281 warplanes, 264 helicopters, 1,644 drones, 592 cruise missiles, 16 warships, 4,563 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 172 units of special equipment.

Russia has claimed that its casualties have been much lower but provides infrequent updates on its latest figures.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has said that any suggestion that there could be a “Christmas ceasefire” in Ukraine is “not on the agenda”.

The comments came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called on G7 leaders earlier this week to support a peace solution that would begin with Russia withdrawing its troops from Ukraine this Christmas.

At least 13 Iranian-made drones were shot down over Kyiv on Wednesday, according to the Ukrainian military, with the authorities describing the attacks as a continuation of Russia’s assault against the country’s energy infrastructure.

But Ukrainian national grid operator Ukrenergo said that the Russian drone attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding area on Wednesday failed to do any damage to energy facilities “thanks to the brilliant work of the air defence forces”.

The Ukrainian regional administration building in the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine has been hit by multiple Russian rockets, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office.

The head of the United Kingdom’s Armed Forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, has said that Russia is currently facing a “critical shortage” of artillery shells and that the Kremlin’s ability to carry out successful ground operations in Ukraine is “rapidly diminishing”.

The military chief added: “Russia faces a critical shortage of artillery munitions. This means that their ability to conduct successful offensive ground operations is rapidly diminishing.”