Footage shows Russian column of tanks destroyed in Ukrainian ambush

Astonishing footage shows an entire column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles being destroyed one by one in an extraordinary ambush by Ukrainian marines.

Video shows five Russian tanks advancing through a destroyed village in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine where houses have been reduced to rubble from heavy fighting.

But soldiers from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade had been watching their advance from their bunkers and launched a series of US-provided Javelin missiles at the tanks, destroying them one by one in a scene of utter carnage.

A missile can be seen racing through the air before it plunges into one of the tanks, which erupts into a ball of flames. At one point another missile hits another tank and desperate Russian soldiers are seen fleeing from the burning wreckage.

The Javelin missile has been an integral part of Ukraine’s arsenal since the war began as it is able to target Russian tanks effectively by flying from a height and slamming down on the target from above.  

Astonishing footage shows an entire column of Russian tanks and armoured vehicles being destroyed one by one in an extraordinary ambush by Ukrainian marines 

A missile can be seen racing through the air before it plunges into one of the tanks, which erupts into a ball of flames 

At one point another missile hits another tank and desperate Russian soldiers are seen fleeing from the burning wreckage

The missile, part of a series of weapons sent to Ukraine by Western countries such as the US and UK, is particularly deadly against tanks because their armour is thinnest on top.

The footage shows five Russian tanks driving through a destroyed village before a Ukrainian soldier fires the Javelin missile at the column of military vehicles. 

The missile is seen racing through the air and plunging into the tank, which erupts into flames. Plumes of black smoke rise up into the air and the four other tanks attempt to race away and avoid Ukrainian fire.

The same Ukrainian marine fires two missiles in quick succession at the tanks in a field, causing them to erupt into huge fireballs. 

The Ukrainian forces launch yet another missile at the floundering Russian troops and hits another tank. 

After being hit, the Russian tank manages to drive frantically away in an attempt to avoid the bombardment of missiles. But another missile manages to hit the tank as it’s racing across the field, forcing the Russian soldiers to flee the burning wreckage.

Three Russian soldiers manage to jump from flaming tank and begin running in different directions across the blackened field in a scene of chaos.

The same Ukrainian marine fires two missiles in quick succession at the tanks in a field, causing them to erupt into huge fireballs

Three Russian soldiers manage to jump from flaming tank and begin running in different directions across the blackened field in a scene of chaos

The same Ukrainian marine fires two missiles in quick succession at the tanks in a field, causing them to erupt into huge fireballs

Another tank is seen racing across the field and a missile misses it by mere inches. The Russian tank then frantically begins reversing before it fires at the Ukrainian troops.

But the defiant Ukrainian marines respond by firing yet another missile at the tank and smoke is seen envelopes the vehicle.

Within seconds, the Ukrainian forces fire another Javelin missile at another tank and it explodes into a huge fireball with large pieces of rubble firing out from the wreckage. The footage then cuts to the burning tanks on the field that has been torn apart by large craters as a result of the heavy battles. 

The 36th Separate Marine Brigade said of the footage: ‘How the javelin fighters of the 36th separate brigade of marines named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilinsky burn Russian armoured vehicles in Donetsk region is a real art.’ 

Elsewhere on the front line, Ukraine said Russian forces pressed on with their assault in the east, in particular on Bakhmut and nearby towns as well as on the town of Avdiivka, about 37 miles to the southwest of Bakhmut.

Bakhmut has been the site of the bloodiest infantry battle in Europe since World War Two, with Russian forces seeking their first victory since mid-2022. 

‘Our defences are holding the city and repelling numerous enemy attacks,’ Ukraine’s military said on Facebook on Thursday evening.

Ukrainian military analyst and journalist, Andriy Tsaplienko, interviewed on Ukrainian NV Radio, said Russian forces were trying to repeat in Avdiivka what happened in Bakhmut.

‘The city is under constant, daily shelling. They understand that they cannot simply capture it and instead are starting to destroy Avdiivka as much as possible,’ Tsaplienko said.

The Ukrainian military had said a day earlier that Russian fighters were having some success in Bakhmut. Evhen Dikyi, a Ukrainian military analyst interviewed on Ukrainian NV Radio, said Russian forces controlled more than half the city.

‘I can tell you that Bakhmut is holding firm. But there is heavy fighting in the city and it is getting closer to the city centre,’ he said.

‘If Russian forces are reported to have made ‘some progress’ it is probably because they have crossed the Bakhmutka River. They have come wave upon wave and we are talking about a few hundred metres,’ Dikyi added.

A month ago, the Ukrainian military seemed likely to abandon Bakhmut but has since decided to stay and fight for it, hoping to exhaust and deplete Russia’s attacking force.