WATCH destruction of NATO hardware ‘on key Donbass battlefront’

Russian troops have eliminated several Western-supplied Ukrainian armored vehicles amid Kiev’s faltering counteroffensive, according to a video circulating on social media.

Late on Tuesday, several Russian Telegram channels posted a clip shot from above depicting what appears to be a Bradley Fighting Vehicle engaging Russian troops. The clash reportedly took place in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic near Stepovoe, north of Avdeyevka, which has been on the front lines since 2014. It is unclear when exactly the incident took place.

The armored unit, which was operating without infantry support, opened torrential fire from its main gun on Russian soldiers taking cover in rubble. The clip then shows the same vehicle attempting to leave the area and being hit by an explosion, sending a plume of smoke into the air. Telegram channel Voennoye Obozreniye (Military Review) claimed that the Bradley was knocked out by a Russian FPV drone as it retreated back to Ukrainian positions.

The video then shows what seem to be several knocked-out NATO armored vehicles, apparently abandoned by Ukrainian troops. The zoomed-in footage appears to show several more Bradleys as well as at least one German-made Leopard tank. While it is unclear when this armor was destroyed, Lost Armor, a military-analytical portal, pinpointed it to the same location.

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Russian drone takes out Leopard tank (VIDEO) – RIA

Commenting on the overall situation in the area, Voennoye Obozreniye described Stepovoe as a key road junction, noting that control over the settlement could allow Russian troops to cut off supplies to Ukrainian troops in Avdeyevka.

Meanwhile, the pro-Ukrainian US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) admitted on Monday that Russian troops had made "confirmed gains" near Avdeyevka, particularly in the Stepovoe area.

The new battlefield footage is emblematic of the recent admission by Ukraine's commander in chief that the frontline in the conflict with Russia had become a stalemate.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also said earlier this month that “despite the supply of new kinds of NATO weapons, the Kiev regime is losing.”

He also estimated Ukraine’s losses at more than 90,000 troops and nearly 600 tanks and 2,000 armored vehicles since the start of the push.

In recent weeks, Russian media have regularly published footage of destroyed Western-supplied Ukrainian hardware, mostly from the southern sector of the front. Numerous Western media outlets have also confirmed that the offensive has taken a heavy toll on Ukraine armored spearheads.