Published: January 16, 2025 6:56 pm
Author: RT
A clip shows the destruction of a German-made tank and an assault on enemy trenches
Russian forces have successfully taken a Ukrainian fortified position near the strategic Donbass city of Pokrovsk, the Defense Ministry in Moscow stated on Thursday. A video provided by the ministry shows the operation during which a Ukrainian tank, a German-made Leopard, was destroyed.
The clip starts with aerial footage taken from a drone hovering above a Ukrainian tank that has taken a position on a dirt road going through a small village. A first-person view camera shows a Russian drone zeroing in on the target and striking what appears to be a German-made Leopard.
The second part of the video shows a fortified Ukrainian position that includes deep trenches outfitted with dugout shelters and firing positions reinforced with wood. One of the shelters is struck with a suicide drone. The explosion is followed by an assault on another dugout by Russian troops. The clip ends with soldiers successfully taking over the position and reporting on the enemy’s casualties.
Pokrovsk, also known as Krasnoarmeysk, is one of the few major Donbass population centers still under Kiev’s control and the only one in the western part of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). The city used to be a major supply hub for the Ukrainian frontline fortifications but has become part of the frontline itself, as Russian forces continue their steady push west.
In late December, the Russian Defense Ministry reported liberating the villages of Novotroitskoe and Novoolenovka near Pokrovsk. The Russian military is currently engaged in a major offensive to the south of the city.
According to Moscow’s latest daily report, the Ukrainian military lost almost 600 soldiers in the area over the past 24 hours, as well as three tanks, including one Leopard, three armored vehicles, including a US-made M113 armored personnel carrier, and three field artillery pieces.
READ MORE: Russian drones finish off Ukrainian armor (VIDEO)
In late 2024, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky referred to the defense of Pokrovsk and another Donbass city, Kurakhovo, as “the most difficult” for the Ukrainian army.
