This is the dramatic moment a Russian T-90 tank exploded into a huge fireball as Kyiv’s strengthening counteroffensive continues.
Russian troops have been trying to storm the strategically important city of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine for several days.
But a new video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense shows a tank near the city blown to pieces in another huge blow to Vladimir Putin.
The dramatic clip seemingly shows a T-90 – Russia’s main battle tank – travelling across the battlefield before it suddenly explodes, sending thick smoke and debris from the vehicle high into the sky.
Aerial footage then shows the mangled tank burning, with no apparent sign of any survivors.
Putin also said Russian forces were conducting an “active defence” and claimed they were improving their position along almost the whole front line, including in the Kupiansk, Zaporizhzhia and Avdiivka areas.
But Ukraine also claimed Russia has suffered huge losses in a single week in what is proving to be one Kyiv’s largest offensives since the war began in February 2022.
Putin is trying to launch a sustained assault on the east of Ukraine, but Kyiv claimed Russia has lost 127 tanks, 239 armoured personnel vehicles (APVs) and 161 artillery systems in a week.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces had lost eight tanks, 25 APVs and 33 artillery systems in the past day alone.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian officials claimed an attempt from Russian forces to storm Avdiivka is weakening.
The Ukrainian General Staff said on Monday its forces repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions on the city over the previous 24 hours.
That compared with up to 60 attacks a day in the middle of last week, according to Vitalii Barabash, head of the city administration, who added that the seemingly weakening effort to capture the city has “deflated”.
The Institute for the Study of War think tank said in an analysis: “Russian forces continued offensive operations aimed at encircling Avdiivka — but have yet to make further gains amid a likely decreasing tempo of Russian operations in the area.”
