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Ukraine's armed forces have shared footage of what it says were strikes on Russian military vehicles.
The video, uploaded to the Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is captioned: "The destruction of 4 enemy anti-tank guns and 2 ammunition trucks of the invaders. Let's stand and win!"
The clip starts by saying how Ukraine's 40th artillery brigade carried out the operation. Drone footage shows what is said to be a T-12 anti-tank gun. To dramatic music, the two-minute video cuts between images of Ukrainian forces firing and the smoky remains of Russian equipment.
The date of the video and where it was shot were not given and the footage, which Newsweek has emailed the Russian defense ministry about, hasn't been independently verified.
It comes as Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said Russian forces were moving to a defensive posture following a failed winter offensive. HUR spokesman Andriy Yusov told national television that Russian forces "have no intention of replicating the attempts we witnessed" last year.
However, he added that this didn't mean that Russia "no longer poses a danger to Ukraine," with Moscow's forces still possessing "a large amount of manpower, mobilization potential, and equipment, albeit outdated," the Kyiv Independent reported.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday in an unannounced visit, his first since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion 14 months ago.
Kyiv continues to push for membership of the alliance. Earlier this month, Stoltenberg said that the first step to membership is "to ensure that Ukraine prevails, and that is why the U.S. and its partners have provided unprecedented support for Ukraine."
Among that support was the news that Denmark and the Netherlands will donate 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation reported on Thursday.
Acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said "at least" 80 Leopard 1 tanks will be transferred to Ukraine by the end of this year, while the Leopard 2s would reach Ukraine by next year. Denmark also announced this month it would work with Norway to transfer 8,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine.
However, there is dispute between French and Polish officials over whether local EU firms or competitors should receive the EU's joint contracts to supply Ukraine with ammunition, Politico reported on Wednesday.
Last month, the EU approved the procurement of one million artillery rounds for Ukraine on March 20 to help Kyiv's forces replenish depleted stocks.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more