Ukraine war: Russia destroys first UK tank as Putin seeks weapons ‘from Kim Jong-un’

A battlefield video circulating online appears to show the destruction of a British Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine.

The burning wreck of the military vehicle is seen in footage from the frontline and would be the first time one of the tanks has been destroyed in combat.

In the video, a vehicle with a cracked windscreen drives past as black smoke is seen rising from the roadside, although it is unclear what caused the explosion.

Britain initially supplied 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine and then doubled that number to 28.

As Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has isolated him on the international stage – and Western sanctions have hit Russia’s economy – the president has been casting around for ways to alleviate the pressure and feed his war machine.

First it was China and President Xi Jinping. Mr Putin has consistently touted his good relationship with Mr Xi and has used that to get an economic lifeline from Beijing. In June, Chinese customs data showed that trade between the two nations was $93.8bn (£74.7bn) from January to May 2023, up 40.7 per cent when compared to the same period last year.

The data also showed that China’s exports to Russia were $43bn (£34bn) from January to May 2023, up 75.6 per cent on the same period the previous year. A report from the Financial Times this week also said that China’s banks are extending billions of dollars of loans to Russian banks.

The bromance is alive and well. But it is clear that Vladimir Putin needs Xi Jingping more than he needs Mr Putin.

Mr Kim would happily take the kind of bromance that Mr Putin believes he has with Mr Xi. The pair are said to have exchanged letters. In June, Mr Kim sent a message to Mr Putin marking Russia’s national day, where he said he would “hold hands” with the Russian leader and that the nation had the full support of North Korea’s people. The Kremlin said last week that Moscow intends to deepen its “mutually respectful relations” with Pyongyang.

Ukraine’s military confirmed advances along the frontlines yesterday as the Russian side described “tension” in the southern region of the war-hit nation in an update yesterday evening.

“We are pressing our offensive in the Bakhmut sector and our defenders are advancing confidently metre by metre, namely Klishchivka,” Ilya Yevlash, spokesperson for Ukrainian troops in the east, told national television.

He was referring to a village located on heights south of Bakhmut, seen as critical to recapturing the city.

Russian forces had been dealt “a good kick” near the village of Novoyehorivka which halted their advance, he said.

Almost three months after Ukraine began its counteroffensive to repel Russian forces from its territory, Kyiv has reclaimed several settlements.

Several villages in a southward drive towards the Sea of Azov have been recaptured and Ukraine’s military says it is regaining ground near the eastern city of Bakhmut, seized by Russia in May after months of battles.

The spokesperson said Ukrainian troops had withstood an onslaught further north near Lyman, a town they retook last year.

Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed Tuesday to extend their voluntary oil production cuts through the end of this year, trimming 1.3 million barrels of crude out of the global market and boosting energy prices.

The dual announcements from Riyadh and Moscow pushed benchmark Brent crude above $90 a barrel in trading Tuesday afternoon, a price unseen in the market since November.

The countries’ moves likely will increase the cost for motorists at gasoline pumps and put new pressure on Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the United States. President Joe Biden last year warned the kingdom there would be unspecified “consequences” for partnering with Russia on cuts as Moscow wages war on Ukraine.

A battlefield video circulating online appears to show the destruction of a British Challenger 2 tank in Ukraine.

The burning wreck of the military vehicle is seen in footage from the frontline and would be the first time one of the tanks has been destroyed in combat.

In the video, a vehicle with a cracked windscreen drives past as black smoke is seen rising from the roadside, although it is unclear what caused the explosion.

Britain initially supplied 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine and then doubled that number to 28.

North Korea’s leader would travel from Pyongyang, probably by armoured train, to Vladivostok on the Pacific Coast of Russia, where he would meet Mr Putin, reported The New York Times.

It is believed that while in Vladivostok, a port city not far from North Korea, the two leaders would discuss Kim sending Russia artillery shells and anti-tank missiles in exchange for Moscow‘s advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, according to US officials.

Establishing accurate data on the number of military casualties sustained since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022 is difficult for two reasons. The severity of the fighting on the ground and the fact that both sides are inclined to keep their cards close to their chests to avoid damaging morale – especially at a time when the war is entering a pivotal new stage.

The Kremlin, in particular, is unlikely to admit to high fatality rates among its troops because to do so would amount to a confession that Vladimir Putin’s spurious war to “de-Nazify” Russia’s neighbour state is not going according to plan and, in fact, represents a monumental miscalculation on the part of its leader, who is already under pressure at home over the attempted uprising by Wagner Group mercenaries.

The strikes are now daily and on Tuesday the Russian defence ministry said its air defence systems destroyed two drones over the Kaluga and Tver regions, which border the Moscow region, as well as one closer to the capital, over the Istra district.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the drones “were trying to carry out an attack on Moscow“ and that a consumer services facility was damaged in the Istra district, which is located some 65 km (40 miles) northwest of the Kremlin.

The Zaporizhzhia region of southeast Ukraine has become the most recent hot spot for battles in the 18-month war, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday, as Kyiv’s forces press ahead with their counteroffensive.

Shoigu told Russian military officers that Ukraine has brought up reserve brigades there that were trained by Kyiv’s Western allies. He offered no evidence for his claim, which could not be independently verified.

Fighting in the southeast could be one of the keys to the war. If Russian defenses there collapse, Ukrainian forces could push southward toward the coast and potentially split Russian forces into two.

A British tank given to Ukraine has been destroyed during fighting against invading Russian forces, the PA news agency has been told.

A defence source said it was likely the first time a Challenger 2 had been disabled by enemy action.

The last time one of the heavily-armoured battle vehicles had been destroyed is thought to have been during friendly fire in Iraq in 2003.