Dramatic drone video released by the Ukrainian military captured the moment a Russian tank was blown to smithereens in Mariupol — as a crewman jumped from the 40-ton vehicle and ran for his life.
The footage shows the “Z”-emblazoned tank rolling along a deserted street in the besieged city before it comes under fire by the Azov Battalion’s artillery.
One crew member is seen clambering out of the turret and running away as smoke spews from the smoldering wreck of the disabled vehicle, which was hit multiple times.
The Russian tank on a street in Mariupol before being blown up. AZOV media
The tank getting hit by Azov Battalion’s artillery. AZOV mediaThe soldier appears to have been wounded and ends up writhing on the ground nearby as a dead comrade lies a short distance away.
It was not immediately clear how many Russian crewmen were killed in the strike.
Kyiv has claimed Ukrainian forces have killed or captured 13,000 Russian soldiers so far, and destroyed nearly 200 planes, 400 tanks and 2,000 other vehicles.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry claimed Wednesday that Russian forces had dropped a powerful bomb on a theater in Mariupol, where hundreds of civilians were sheltering.
A crew member attempting to escape the tank. AZOV media
A dead Russian soldier seen on the ground near the tank. AZOV media
The latest on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry denied its forces were behind the attack, claiming the allegations were an attempt to frame Moscow.
With Post wires
