Russian video shows drone strikes on 'Leopard 2' tanks in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
The Russian Defence Ministry released footage on Saturday showing drones striking tanks in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast where it said Ukrainian forces had made "unsuccessful" attempts to launch attacks in the past 24 hours.
Reuters was able to verify the location of the video as two miles south of the village of Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia by vegetation lines, crop squares and buildings that matched satellite imagery of the area. Reuters was not able to independently confirm the date the video was filmed.
Russia's defence ministry claimed some of the vehicles were Western-supplied armoured vehicles including Leopard tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. Reuters could not independently verify the claim.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that counteroffensive and defensive operations were taking place in Ukraine, but told reporters that he would not say what stage they were at.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had certainly begun their expected counteroffensive in intense fighting in Ukraine, but that every attempted advance had failed, at a heavy cost in casualties.
With scant independent reporting from the front lines, it has been difficult to assess the state of the fighting.
Britain's Ministry of Defence said that Ukrainian forces have penetrated the first line of Russian defences in some areas but that Kyiv's progress had been slower in others.
Reuters
