Incredible images have emerged depicting the aftermath of an ambush conducted by Ukrainian special forces (SSO) on a convoy of Russian armour and troops headed from Kharkiv to Izyum earlier this week.
Snaps released by the Ukrainian Ground Forces early this morning show the smouldering wreckage of several Russian armoured vehicles after they were caught up in a huge explosion orchestrated by SSO operators on Monday.
Russia this week is deploying more troops to areas around the city of Izyum, which lies a mere 25 miles from the Donbas region where Ukraine’s armed forces are engaged in bitter fighting with the invaders, said Kharkiv Regional Military Administration Oleg Synehubiv.
But having learned the destination and the route of this particular Russian convoy, SSO operators planted stacks of TNT at key points along the road and underneath a bridge, which were detonated as the armour began to roll across.
Several vehicles were destroyed in the blasts, after which SSO operators and members of the Ukrainian army swept in to neutralise the remaining Russian troops.
It comes as Russia gears up for a major new offensive designed to encircle huge swathes of territory in Ukraine’s east as the war enters a new bloody phase.
A group of SSO (Special Forces) of Ukraine blew up a bridge with Russian armoured vehicles and reinforcements heading to the city of Izyum, where both sides are locked in bitter fighting
Snaps released by the Ukrainian Ground Forces early this morning show the smouldering wreckage of several Russian armoured vehicles after they were caught up in a huge explosion
Having learned the destination and the route of this particular Russian convoy, SSO operators planted stacks of explosives at key points along the road and underneath a bridge, which were detonated as the Russian armour began to roll across
‘Our soldiers discovered Russian Kamaz trucks, Tiger and Ural armoured vehicles moving to strengthen their group in the Kharkiv region,’ the Ukrainian Ground Forces said in a statement this morning.
‘Having established the route of the enemy convoy, SSO operators designated a bridge in the way of the enemy vehicles as the most suitable location to conduct an ambush.
‘Having calculated the best location and the required amount of explosives, the charges were planted and blown up, destroying the entire convoy.
‘Our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) confirmed the targets were destroyed, after which members of the army moved into complete the operation.’
The report tallies with a statement made by Kharkiv regional governor, who announced via Telegram on Monday night that ‘a large column of enemy equipment and manpower heading towards Izyum has been destroyed’.
The battle for Ukraine’s east is expected to intensify over the coming days, with intelligence sources suggesting that the troops withdrawn from areas around Kyiv in recent weeks will be redeployed along with more units from Russian soil.
Izyum is expected to be one of the hottest spots of the conflict, as it lies between the city of Kharkiv close to Russia’s western border and the Donbas regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
A US defence think tank told The Times the Russian army will likely aim to seize Izyum and Slovyansk first, before pushing further south to encircle a swathe of territory in Ukraine’s south-east.
General Sir Richard Barrons, a former British military chief, told the paper: ‘[The Russians] will try to put more ground forces in the face of the Ukrainians at once to get the force ratios right, knowing the Ukrainians in the east are in very well-prepared positions.’
‘Our unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) confirmed the targets were destroyed, after which members of the army moved into complete the operation,’ a Ukrainian Ground Forces statement said
In the trenches: A group of Ukrainian soldiers talk to each other at a Ukrainian frontline in Donbass, Ukraine on April 11, 2022
Trench warfare remains a feature of conflict in Europe, with Ukrainian troops seen bracing themselves for the Russian onslaught coming their way. Ukraine’s best troops have been dug in around Donbas since Russia invaded the region in 2014, but the weeks ahead will present their biggest challenge
However, despite Putin’s efforts to overwhelm his Ukrainian opponents, military sources in Kyiv insisted the numbers expected to swarm the east over the coming days would still fall short of the number needed for Russia to win.
It comes as images show how trench warfare remains a feature of conflict in Europe, with Ukrainian troops seen bracing themselves for the Russian onslaught coming their way.
Ukraine’s best troops have been dug in around Donbas since Russia invaded the region in 2014, but the weeks ahead will present their biggest challenge.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) yesterday warned that fighting there will intensify over the ‘next two to three weeks,’ signaling a new phase of the war.
Meanwhile, British military intelligence today suggested that the Ukrainian towns of Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka – the first of which was recently targeted when a Russian rocket attack hit a civilian evacuation centre – are likely to be singled out by Putin’s troops for levels of violence seen in towns like Bucha.
In an update on the war, the MoD said that ‘widespread missile and artillery strikes and efforts to concentrate forces for an offensive’ showed a reversion to traditional Russian military doctrine.
The MoD added that Ukraine’s continued defense of Mariupol was currently tying down significant numbers of Russian troops and equipment.
The port city has been under constant Russian bombardment for well over a month, while Putin’s ground forces moved in and seized territory.
Ukrainian fighters are putting up a hellish last stand in tunnels under an abandoned Stalingrad-esque Azovstal steel plant (pictured) in Mariupol as Russian forces close in on the besieged port city
Experts say the fall of Mariupol, seen as strategically vital for Russian plans to attack eastern Ukraine, is inevitable. But holdouts in their underground bases at the steelworks (pictured) are aiming to use guerilla tactics to hold off the Russians as long as possible
But Ukrainian fighters are putting up a hellish last stand in tunnels under an abandoned Stalingrad-esque steel plant, forcing the Russians to expend more bodies and equipment.
Experts say the fall of Mariupol, seen as strategically vital for Russian plans to attack eastern Ukraine, is inevitable.
But holdouts in their underground bases hope to make conquering the Sea of Azov port as hard as possible for the attackers – and Russia’s plans to assault the Donbas region will be severely hindered if the remaining Ukrainian forces can stall them for much longer.
The urban landscape of the Azovstal steelworks provided shelter for Ukrainian forces who took refuge following reports Russia had used chemical weapons.
Now, the defenders’ plan to take on the invaders seems almost tailor-made for guerrilla warfare, with sprawling rail lines, warehouses, coal furnaces, factories, chimneys and tunnels.