Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense released aerial drone footage captured by the 58th Motorized Brigade, showcasing the destruction of 42 Russian tanks and combat vehicles in the eastern Donetsk region.

The footage depicts a “line to hell,” as described by the ministry, with numerous armored vehicles obliterated on a limited stretch of the front line. Fierce clashes continue to erupt in the Donetsk region, a focal point of intense warfare between Ukrainian and Russian forces.

Newsweek couldn’t independently verify when or where the footage was filmed and has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

Russian forces have recently been making steady advances in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region—made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions—after breaking through the fortified defensive lines of Kyiv’s military in the area.

Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, also shared the footage on X, formerly Twitter.

“42 destroyed Russian tanks – a result of command work by Ukrainian 58th Motorized Brigade and in cooperation with the Separate Presidential Brigade and the 762nd Brigade,” Gerashchenko wrote.

“Brigade soldiers report that this is the result of a significant intensification of fighting in their direction over the previous few weeks,” he added. “The pace of fighting on that section of the front has not slowed down, with Russian generals continuing to send their mechanized units into endless attacks without regard for casualties.”

Dutch open-source intelligence defense analysis website Oryx has visually confirmed that Russia has lost 2,948 tanks since the start of the conflict in Ukraine. It said that 1,970 have been destroyed, 154 have been damaged, 310 have been abandoned, and 514 have been captured. CONTINUE READING