An armored fighting vehicle with Ukrainian troops inside fires on Russian trenches in the town of Ivanivske, to the west of Bakhmut.
Ukraine’s 5th Separate Assault Brigade/Facebook
A video appears to show a Ukrainian tank firing on a Russian trench, backed by troops in an IFV.
The drone footage, shared by Ukrainian forces, says the attack is in the town of Ivanivske.
Russian forces are continuing attacks in eastern Ukraine as they try to seize the town of Bakhmut.
A graphic video appears to show Ukrainian forces storming Russian trenches near Bakhmut, attacking with a tank as well as soldiers on foot.
The drone footage, shared on the official Facebook account of Ukraine’s 5th Separate Assault Brigade, shows Ukrainian forces in a coordinated attack on a Russian position in the town of Ivanivske, to the west of Bakhmut.
Bakhmut has seen some of the bloodiest battles of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which have often involved trench warfare reminiscent of World War I.
In the video, a tank can be seen rolling up to the trenches through a barren landscape before firing several rounds.
The tank then quickly reverses and moves away, at which point an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) pulls up with Ukrainian troops inside.
The vehicle also fires on the trenches, and the Russian soldiers can be seen scurrying through the zig-zagging trench.
The Ukrainian troops continue to bombard the trenches, firing from the IFV’s machine gun as well as using a rocket launcher to fire missiles.
After the attack, a Ukrainian soldier can be seen sneaking into the trenches to look for any Russian survivors.
The camera then pans to show footage of what appears to be Russian soldiers lying dead among the wreckage.
It is not clear when the video was filmed, but Russian forces are continuing to advance in eastern Ukraine as they try to seize the town of Bakhmut.
Insider was not able to independently verify the footage, but Rob Lee, a former US Marine infantry officer who is currently a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program, also tweeted out the video.
According to reports, the 5th Separate Assault Brigade was formed by a US-trained officer, Colonel Pavlo Palisa, to lead attacks on enemy positions.
The death toll for both sides in the fighting for Bakhmut continues to mount as they relentlessly battle for the symbolic victory, despite the town’s apparent lack of strategic importance for either Russia or Ukraine.