Russian soldiers awarded highest military honours for destroying Western tanks
Russian soldiers have been awarded their country’s highest military honour after reportedly destroying four German-made Leopard tanks and five US-made Bradley fighting vehicles while repelling a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, was shown on state television awarding the “Hero of Russia gold star” to soldiers, who said they had destroyed the enemy tanks and armoured vehicles.
Russia’s defence ministry has published several videos and pictures over recent days showing numerous strikes on Ukrainian-manned armoured vehicles and tanks from Ka-52 attack helicopters and drones.
In footage released on Saturday, drones were shown striking tanks in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Kyiv’s forces have so far focused their counter-offensive.
The video was verified as being filmed two miles south of the village of Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia. However, the date of the footage could not be confirmed.
Ukrainian troops whose US-made Bradley armoured vehicles were damaged or destroyed last week vowed on Sunday to resume their fight soon.
A group of soldiers taking a break from fighting outside the town of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region said they had lost most of their Bradleys.
Of nine vehicles attached to the group’s mechanised infantry unit, six were wrecked, three damaged but reparable, and one was unscathed.
The group said Russian forces had been forewarned and taunted the Ukrainians the night before the battle over their radios.
Asked whether they had captured any ground despite coming under such heavy fire, one of the soldiers held up his finger and thumb in a gesture to indicate very small progress.
“When our Bradleys are repaired, we’ll be right back at them,” another said.
Meanwhile, a senior officer added: “Who would be happy receiving those orders, ‘Go and take those Russian positions which are well protected’?
“But we still have that fury, we’ve no choice but to succeed.”
Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian forces had so far failed in their counter-offensive, but that the “offensive potential” of Ukraine had not yet been undermined.
Russia says Ukraine’s attack is focusing on several points in southern Ukraine, but that its defensive lines have so far not been pierced.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, acknowledged on Saturday that his military was engaged in “counter-offensive and defensive operations”, but said he would not go into detail.
“They [Ukraine’s generals] are all in a positive mood. Pass that on to Putin,” Mr Zelensky said.
