Image source: Ukrainian Air Assault Force
Ukrainian paratroopers claim to have used armored vehicles to try to run over Russian soldiers after running out of ammunition during an attack in Kursk.
Drone footage captured a U.S.-supplied Stryker infantry carrier with a top speed of 60 mph chasing Russian troops across a snow-covered field on Monday, crushing at least one person under its wheels.
Ukrainian troops reported that their 16-ton Strykers, which are usually equipped with overhead machine guns, were out of ammunition, even though a crew member opened fire on the Russians with a rifle from inside the cabin.
The paratroopers did not specify where the Kursk incident occurred. Ukraine on Sunday launched a counterattack with tanks and infantry after months of stalemate on the Russian border, after its first invasion months ago allowed Kiev to seize large swathes of land.
It was unclear why Russian troops encountered the vehicle in the open. War correspondent and analyst David Axel said Russian soldiers may have lost their comrades in the chaos of Sunday’s attack.
“chaotic battle”
“The Battle of Kursk was characterized by this chaotic fighting,” Mr. Akers wrote in Forbes magazine. He added that the crushing of unarmed Russian troops could also have been motivated by “bloodlust”.
The pro-Russian military blog “Informant” said that after the release of the video, the Russian army was unlikely to show mercy to the “dwindling number of Ukrainian occupiers”.
New Ukrainian developments in Kursk continued on Monday and Tuesday, with each side claiming damage to the other.
Ukrainian troops say their 16-ton Stryker is out of ammunition – Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine; Getty
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Tuesday that a “new offensive operation” was underway and a “high-precision strike” was carried out against the Russian Marine Corps command center near the village of Belaya.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the enemy attack had been thwarted and its main forces had been destroyed near the village of Beldin, about 12 miles northeast of the main town of Souza in Kursk under Ukrainian control.
An unconfirmed video circulating on social media on Tuesday appeared to show Russian troops searching for the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers lying dead in the snow in Kursk following recent clashes.
Ribal, a pro-Kremlin war blogger, said Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian attack near Borsho Soldatsko, about 17 miles northeast of Sudja.
The channel stated that in the new round of offensive, Ukraine caused more than 200 casualties, lost 35 pieces of equipment including tanks, and captured 14 soldiers.
The report added that Russian forces took advantage of a Ukrainian offensive north of Souza to advance toward Makhnovka, 2.5 miles south of the Ukrainian-controlled town.
Analysts say Ukraine’s new Kursk offensive is relatively small, but Kiev is trying to hold on to a foothold on Russia for as long as possible in order to use it as leverage in future negotiations with Moscow.
Military analyst Franz-Stefan Gadi said: “We may not yet see the main direction of this offensive in Ukraine. We are essentially talking about platoon-scale, company-scale attacks, but so far the gains have been quite considerable. limited.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russia has caused 38,000 casualties in the Kursk region since Ukraine occupied parts of the region in August last year.
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