Against all odds: Incredible moment single Ukrainian tank takes on entire Russian convoy, destroying multiple armoured vehicles near Kyiv – but NATO chief warns that Putin has NOT lost his appetite to control the WHOLE country

• Footage shows a lone Ukrainian T-64 tank ambushing a drove of Russian vehicles in Nova Basan, Ukraine
• The armoured vehicle was able to fire several rounds at the invaders and successfully destroyed two vehicles
• Tank cleverly concealed itself behind a house and thread its shells between other buildings
• Kyiv claimed close to 20,000 of Moscow's troops have been killed since Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24

By DAVID AVERRE FOR MAILONLINE-6 April 2022

Incredible video footage has emerged showing the moment a lone Ukrainian tank single-handedly destroyed several Russian armoured vehicles less than 50 miles from Kyiv.

The footage, collected by a drone and published by a Ukrainian volunteer unit on Telegram, shows what appears to be a single well-positioned Ukrainian T-64 tank ambushing a convoy of Russian BTR-82A armoured vehicles on a road in Nova Basan, west of the capital.

Thanks to brilliant positioning, the lion-hearted tank operator was able to fire several rounds at the invaders' convoy, threading the gap between other structures from a concealed location behind a house.

One BTR was quickly set ablaze in the attack, prompting the remaining armoured vehicles to fire back, seemingly aiming at other targets off-camera as yellow flashes of fire were seen streaking across the fields surrounding the road.

But the T-64 appeared unsighted and continued to pound the convoy with shells as it outsmarted the Russian troops until further artillery reinforcements arrived.

The second half of the video cuts to later footage of Ukrainian artillery strikes raining down on the convoy as it attempts to flee, before zooming in on the wreckage of a Russian tank still on fire alongside several corpses.

Despite the tank's heroics, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg today warned the war in Ukraine could last 'months, even years' as there is no sign Vladimir Putin has lost 'his ambition to control the whole country'. 

Ukrainian authorities urged civilians in the country's east to flee 'now' or 'risk death' as Russian forces regroup ahead of what is expected to be a fresh offensive in the Donbas region.

Stoltenberg, speaking ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, said the international community should be 'realistic' about Moscow's intentions and 'realise that this may last for a long time' as the war entered its 41st day. 

'We need also to be prepared for the long haul, both when it comes to supporting Ukraine, sustaining sanctions and strengthening our defences,' he added.

Fearless Ukrainian tank takes on whole Russian armoured convoy

 

 

Fantastic drone footage has emerged showing the remarkable courage and tactics of a single Ukrainian tank, which successfully ambushed a whole column of Russian armoured vehicles

The convoy fired rounds into nearby buildings and also directed fire across neighbouring fields, seemingly at targets off camera, but the lone Ukrainian tank remained hidden as it continued to pound the invaders with shells, ultimately destroying two vehicles

The Ukrainian T-64 tank managed to operate incredibly effectively against the Russian armour, despite the considerable discrepancy in their technology (a T-64 is seen firing during a military drill for Ukrainian soldiers at the training centre of Ukrainian Ground Forces near Rivne, Ukraine, February 16, 2022)

A Ukrainian service member walks next to a damaged Russian BTR-82, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Nova Basan, Ukraine April 1, 2022

A local resident drives past a destroyed Russian armoured personal carrier, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Nova Basan

Old T-64 tanks covered by snow stands at the depot site at the Tank Repair Plant in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 31, 2022

Victims 'blown up with a grenade', a father shot dead in front of his 14-year-old son and troops who 'executed all men under 50': Horrifying details emerge of Russian atrocities in Bucha 

By Jack Newman and Chris Pleasance for MailOnline 

Charred body parts lay scattered over the streets of Bucha for days after a man was killed with a grenade, while men were stripped naked, tied up and summarily executed by Russians, traumatised civilians have revealed as vile stories emerge from the Ukrainian town.

Survivors from the month-long occupation of the town in Kyiv oblast have started to describe their gruesome treatment at the hands of Putin's invading troops after area was liberated.

Mykola, a 53-year-old resident, spent a month hiding in the cold and dark cellar of his apartment building with his wife after witnessing callous executions on the streets of his hometown.

He told ABC that when the Russians arrived, they killed all men aged under 50 and then ordered him to bury his friends within 20 minutes. 

Two of his friends were shot in front of him and another was hit by a grenade, blowing his body to pieces, which lay untouched for days until Mykola was allowed to quickly gather his parts in a bag and bury them in a shallow grave to ward off the dogs. 

Vanya Skyba told The Economist how Russians rounded up a group of builders, ordered them to strip naked and lie face down on the floor while their bodies and phones were searched for evidence of military tattoos or anti-Russian sentiment.

One of the men was killed as an example to make the group talk, forcing one of the men to admit he had been a member of Ukraine's territorial defence who had served in the Donbas, prompting the Kremlin thugs to execute him too.

The others were beaten and tortured until an order to kill was issued by a Russian saying: 'F***ing do them in.'

They were led to the side of the building and each shot, and Skyba took a bullet in the side which went through his body. He played dead on the concrete floor until he heard silence when he fled over a fence to a nearby home.

He was later found there by Russians from a different unit who believed his cover story he was the owner of the home, but they led him back to the cellar where he had been shot where he sheltered with a dozens woman and children until they were freed.

After the savage killings, locals said Putin's army occupied the dead civilians' homes, drinking their alcohol, partying and stealing their belongings. 

The date of the ambush was not given, but it is thought to have taken place last week, given that the majority of Russian forces retreated from towns and villages around Kyiv late last week and over the weekend.

Geolocation shows the ambush took place along the HO7 highway which runs through Nova Basan, connecting Kyiv with the Western cities of Sumy and Kharkiv. 

Meanwhile, images published on April 1 showed Ukrainian soldiers inspecting a series of burnt-out Russian tanks and BTRs in Nova Basan, which may well have been the remnants of the effective ambush.

The Ukrainian tank managed to operate incredibly effectively against the Russian armour, despite the considerable discrepancy in their technology.

The T-64 is a Soviet-era machine, first deployed as early as the 1960s, and Ukraine inherited thousands of the vehicles when the Soviet Union collapsed.

Armoured vehicle technology has since moved on massively - the Russian BTRs that were destroyed in the clip only entered service a decade ago - but Ukraine still relies heavily on the ageing tanks as the bulk of its military might.

Images published in January less than a month prior to the Russian invasion showed scores of T-64 tanks left out in the snow, waiting to be retrofitted with upgraded armour and weapons at a tank repair plant in Kharkiv. 

The footage of the daring ambush emerged as Ukrainian authorities claim Russia's death toll in the war is nearing 20,000. 

Ukraine's armed forces are continuing to push back invading Kremlin troops and retake 'key terrain' around the capital and other eastern cities, while Putin's forces retreat to refocus their efforts on the Donbas.  

In an intelligence update posted yesterday, Britain's MoD said that due to the scale of the damage, many of Russian units 'are likely to require significant re-equipping and refurbishment before being available to redeploy for operations in eastern Ukraine.' 

However, Russian forces are continuing to conduct brutal bombing campaigns in cities like Mariupol where the civilian death toll has risen to 5,000.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that even though Ukraine is taking back the capital, he urged civilians not to return for 'at least another week', with explosives left around the city, and described the situation in east of Ukraine as 'critical'. 

Elsewhere, Ukraine's general staff said Russia has again used banned cluster munitions in Mykolaiv, targeting civilian buildings including a children hospital in a horrific attack which has killed 11 and wounded 61. 

As the Czech Republic became the first bloc member to send tanks and armoured infantry vehicles to Kyiv on Thursday, NATO's foreign ministers met today to discuss sending more arms to Ukraine after it emerged the EU had sent just £1bn in aid to President Zelensky's troops since the invasion began on February 24.

Members of the trans-Atlantic alliance had until today given Ukraine only anti-tank and anti-craft missiles, small arms and protective equipment, but not offered heavy armour or fighter jets. 

Today's delivery is understood to be a gift agreed on by NATO allies, raising fears the bloc could be dragged into the Russian war in Ukraine despite remaining on the sidelines for more than a month. 

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