Russia Says Its Tank Crews Have Taken Out Ukrainian Positions

Russia has said that its tank crews have taken out Ukrainian positions, as these images purport to show.

The footage begins by showing a Russian tank manoeuvring into position somewhere on the battlefield.

The images then show a tank opening fire on unseen targets.

The video then cuts to explosions, presumably on Ukrainian positions. As the footage ends, a tank can be seen manoeuvring, presumably away from the area, to avoid return fire.

The images were obtained from the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday, 16th January, along with a statement claiming: "Frustrated plans: tankers of the Southern Military District destroy objects and positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The tank crews of the Southern Military District once again frustrated the enemy's plans to attack the fixed positions of the Russian troops.

"The servicemen of a tank unit destroy the enemy with direct fire and using a modern fire control system."

The Russian MoD also quoted one of its servicemen allegedly saying: "We are fulfilling the tasks of destroying the Ukrainian militants of the National Battalion... The mood of the enemy is generally deplorable, they are slowly starting to give up.

"The day before yesterday, five people came themselves - they crawled. Crawled first. We thought that they were going on the offensive, but it turns out they just raised their hands up and went to surrender to ours."

The Russian MoD also claimed in a separate statement: "The tank crews of the Southern Military District (SMD) once again thwarted the enemy's plans to attack the fixed positions of the Russian troops.

"The servicemen of the tank unit of the Southern Military District performed fire missions from the standard armament of the tank using a modern fire control system both from closed positions and from open positions by direct fire. Adjustment of the fire was carried out with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles.

"There are only a few minutes for the combat work of the tank crew, the enemy is here 6 km from our positions and any delay is the risk of getting a retaliatory strike. After the crew has worked on the target, it immediately changes its position.

"In addition, the fire does not stop not for a second, other combat vehicles are also conducting combat work on enemy positions using the 'tank carousel' method. [...]"

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

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is still calling a "special military operation". Today marks the 327th day of the war.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February 2022 and 16th January 2023, Russia had lost about 116,080 personnel, 3,118 tanks, 6,204 armoured combat vehicles, 2,099 artillery units, 438 multiple launch rocket systems, 220 air defence systems, 286 warplanes, 276 helicopters, 1,872 drones, 749 cruise missiles, 17 warships, 4,870 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 190 units of special equipment.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said on Russian state television that the war in Ukraine, which he again referred to as a “special military operation”, is going to plan and that its “dynamic is positive”.

He added: “Everything is developing within the framework of the plan of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff.”

Russia carried out two large-scale missile attacks on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Saturday, with at least 35 people reportedly killed so far, according to Ukrainian officials. At least 75 people have been wounded in the attacks, with 39 people rescued. Local officials said that 46 people are still missing.

Dnipro’s Mayor, Borys Filatov said: “The chances of saving people now are minimal.”

He added: “I think the number of dead will be in the dozens.”

German weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall has said that main battle tanks from Germany would not be ready to be delivered to Ukraine until 2024.

Rheinmetall’s CEO, Armin Papperger, said: “Even if the decision to send our Leopard tanks to Kyiv came tomorrow, the delivery would take until the start of next year.”

The revelation comes after the United Kingdom promised to deliver at least 14 of its Challenger 2 main battle and other advanced artillery tanks to Kyiv, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirming the move in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.

Prime Minister Sunak said it was the UK’s “ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine”.

Zelensky had said on Saturday that the move "will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners".

He added that support from the United Kingdom was “always strong” and was “now impenetrable”.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said that “now is the time to accelerate and go further and faster”.

He said that the Russian army was now on the defensive and that morale among its forces was pitifully low, blaming the “shambolic state of Russian military logistics” for the Russian army’s state of affairs.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that Ukraine can expect further deliveries of heavy weaponry from Western countries in the near future. He said: “The recent pledges for heavy warfare equipment are important – and I expect more in the near future.”

The Secretary-General said, ahead of a meeting at the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany on 20th January, that other Western allies will consider sending additional main battle tanks to Ukraine.