A Russian kamikaze drone has taken out another Ukrainian US-supplied Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, video circulating online shows. On Monday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said one such piece of armor was destroyed in the Avdeevka region of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
A Russian Telegram channel that claims to be linked to the military posted first-person footage that appeared to be from a kamikaze drone. The six-second video shows the unmanned aerial vehicle closing in on its target as it moves down a dirt road.
The same channel then posted a second video apparently taken from another drone that shows what appears to be the same vehicle burning after being hit. The post did not specify where or when the strike took place but stated that the Bradley IFV was destroyed and its personnel killed.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that a Bradley vehicle had been destroyed during an offensive operation carried out in the Donetsk People’s Republic. It is unclear if the vehicle in the videos is the one the ministry was referring to.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that the West’s continued military aid to Kiev only prolongs the conflict and extends the suffering of Ukrainians, but will not change the outcome.
In its latest daily report, the Russian military said it had liberated the village of Novopokrovskoe, adding that five Ukrainian counterattacks had also been repelled in the area. Kiev’s forces lost up to 405 soldiers in the fighting, as well as a MaxxPro armored vehicle, a US-made M777 howitzer, and two Soviet-made artillery pieces, the statement said.
Elsewhere in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Russian troops also destroyed two US-made M113 armored personnel carriers and 12 other vehicles during fighting near the strategically important town of Chasov Yar. The town, which has long served as a key logistics hub and stronghold of Ukrainian forces, has seen active fighting in recent weeks.
In February, Russian forces captured the town of Avdeevka, a major Ukrainian stronghold near Donetsk, thus significantly reducing the ability of Kiev's troops to shell the city. Moscow’s troops have been steadily advancing in the area ever since. On Sunday, the Defense Ministry reported the liberation of the villages of Spornoe and Novoaleksandrovka, also in the Donetsk People’s Republic.