Ukraine Video Shows 42 Russian Tanks Wiped Out by Kyiv

A video released by Ukraine shows 42 Russian tanks and combat vehicles destroyed by Kyiv's forces in the eastern Donetsk region, where fierce clashes are ongoing.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense shared the aerial drone footage on social media, which was filmed by the Ukrainian 58th Motorized Brigade. "A line to hell. Dozens of Russian tanks and combat vehicles were destroyed on a small section of the front in the Donetsk region," the ministry said.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify when or where the footage was filmed and has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

Russian forces have recently been making steady advances in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region—made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions—after breaking through the fortified defensive lines of Kyiv's military in the area.

Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, also shared the footage on X, formerly Twitter.

"42 destroyed Russian tanks - a result of command work by Ukrainian 58th Motorized Brigade and in cooperation with the Separate Presidential Brigade and the 762nd Brigade," Gerashchenko wrote.

"Brigade soldiers report that this is the result of a significant intensification of fighting in their direction over the previous few weeks," he added. "The pace of fighting on that section of the front has not slowed down, with Russian generals continuing to send their mechanized units into endless attacks without regard for casualties."

Dutch open-source intelligence defense analysis website Oryx has visually confirmed that Russia has lost 2,948 tanks since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. It said that 1,970 have been destroyed, 154 have been damaged, 310 have been abandoned, and 514 have been captured.

Oryx has also visually confirmed that Ukraine has lost 797 tanks in the war, of which 539 were destroyed, 68 were damaged, 59 were abandoned, and 131 were captured.

Kyiv's military said in an update on Friday that Moscow's forces lost 22 tanks over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 7,354. The figures were provided by the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, which posts estimates of Russia's troop and equipment losses daily.

Estimates of casualty numbers vary, with Ukraine's figures usually exceeding those of its Western allies.

In February, Bastian Giegerich, director-general of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said Russia had lost more tanks on the battlefield in Ukraine than it had operational when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

Russia's Defense Ministry said in February that its military has destroyed over 15,000 Ukrainian tanks and other armored combat vehicles since the start of the conflict.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify Russia and Ukraine's figures.

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