A group of Ukrainian men took a Russian tank they ‘captured’ for a joyride through the frozen fields – one of many military vehicles and weapons that have been left behind as ‘demoralized’ Russian soldiers are captured or flee the fight.
A group of men cheered as they rode on top of a Russian tank in viral video footage showing them taking the T-80BVM armored battle tank for a high-speed ride through a field in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
The man filming on his cellphone yells ‘we did it’ and ‘glory to Ukraine’ in his native tongue as his friends laugh and cheer as they traverse the snow-covered field.
The video was posted on Twitter by an account that tracks the ‘usage and capture of material in Ukraine.’
Ukrainian soldiers say they have also found abandoned Russian weaponry, such as a vacuum bomb launcher that was in ‘good condition and fully loaded,’ according to Ukrainian Weapons Tracker.
They claim to have found a self-propelled howitzer, a command vehicle, and logistical trucks in Sumy, Ukraine – roughly 200 miles outside of Kyiv.
A group of men cheered as they ride on top of a Russian tanker on Wednesday as they take a high-speed ride through a field in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The tank was reportedly ‘captured’
The man shooting the video reportedly says ‘we did it’ and ‘glory to Ukraine’ in his native tongue as his friends laugh
Tanks, other military vehicles and weapons have been abandoned across Ukraine as many demoralized Russian troops either surrendered to Ukraine without a fight or fled the battle in the night, Newsweek reported.
Video of captured Russian soldiers, taken by their Ukrainian captors, showed them saying they feel ‘demoralized’ and wish to go home.
Some soldiers are claiming they were deceived by their commanders and were told they were being sent to Ukraine for ‘training,’ according to one viral video.
More than 5,000 Russian soldiers have died and nearly 200 have been captured. Russia has also lost 14 airplanes, eight helicopters, 102 tanks, 536 armed vehicles, 15 heavy machine guns and one BUK missile, according to the Ukrainian military.
One of the videos, which was published on Telegram early on Sunday, shows a captured Russian soldier who identifies himself as Leonid Paktishev, 28, the commander of a sniper unit based in the Rostov region.
Paktishev’s family, speaking to the Guardian, said they were not aware he had been sent to the frontline with Ukraine – adding they believed their relative did not know prior to his deployment either.
‘I knew Leonid was in the military, but I had no idea that he was sent to Ukraine. I don’t think he would have been aware of it either,’ his sister Polivtseva, who went by her maiden name, said.
The family expressed shock and anger that Paktishev had been sent over the border, but stopped short of condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Polivtseva saying she was not ‘competent’ to judge whether the military action was right.
Other footage purported to show Russian soldiers calling their families to tell them they had been captured but were safe and being ‘treated fairly’ by Ukrainian forces.
They drove it through a snowy field at high speeds
Ukrainian soldiers also found a vacuum bomb launcher that was in ‘good condition and fully loaded’
They claim to have found a self-propelled howitzer (pictured), a command vehicle, and logistical trucks in Sumy, Ukraine
They found the vehicles about 200 miles from the Ukrainian capital Kyiv
It is believed Putin’s forces are starting to run out of food and fuel, with some resorting to looting, while others are even reportedly sabotaging their own military equipment in a bid to get out of the war.
Intercepted radio messages indicate troops are disobeying orders from Moscow to shell Ukrainian towns, and complaining about running out of food and fuel.
While both US and Ukrainian intelligence believes morale within the Russian ranks is low, Putin and his commanders have showed no sign they are about to give up the fight – and have instead vowed to press even harder to try and capture key objectives.
Sergey Shoigu, the country’s defense minister, said on Tuesday that they offensive would keep going until all objectives had been completed – which he said was the removal of threats to Russia by the West.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia is trying to erase Ukraine and its people as Vladimir Putin’s invasion entered its seventh day today with renewed attacks on all fronts including an expected assault on the city which houses Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Zelensky, who has become a symbol of Ukrainian defiance and courage since the war began, told his people today that Russians ‘know nothing about our capital. About our history. But they have an order to erase our history. Erase our country. Erase us all.’
Ukraine has paraded captured Russian soldiers in dozens of online videos. Footage appeared on Facebook that showed a captured Russian soldier saying he did not come to the country ‘wanting to kill’
