Hero Ukrainian soldier battles Russian tank to the end

Hero Ukrainian soldier keeps battling Russian tank despite constant barrage of shells and machinegun fire

• The brave soldier fought against a savage onslaught of Russian fire near Marinka
• He ducked, dodged and weaved through trenches as shells exploded around him
• But he was later worn down and made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield 

Brutal footage has emerged of the moment one brave Ukrainian soldier waged a bitter fight against an entire platoon of Russian troops and their armoured personnel carrier (APC) before making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

The unnamed soldier was dug into a trench just south of Marinka, a town close to the city of Donetsk in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region where fierce fighting has raged for months.

Drone cameras captured the harrowing footage which saw the soldier fighting desperately against a horde of Russian troops storming his position. 

His position is battered with constant automatic weapons fire and even artillery shells fired from the Russian APC.

But he continues to duck, weave and hunker down beneath the lip of the trench before firing back, undeterred by the unending barrage of fire raining down on his position.

The lone Ukrainian soldier can be seen rushing through the trenches trying to avoid fire

He maintained composure under incredible pressure and is seen firing back at the Russians

Particularly intense fighting in the Donetsk region since the invasion last year has left no building in Marinka intact

The town of Marinka is among those that have been reduced to rubble, but bitter fighting is still ongoing in the region

A pro-Ukrainian account posted a caption of the video on Twitter, describing the soldier as a ‘hero’.

‘Our hero under heavy fire one-on-one with an APC. Books should be written about these people, and they are just silently defending our country.’

The brave Ukrainian soldier continued to battle on but by the end of the clip it was clear he was dramatically outgunned and the shockwaves of shells exploding around him had sapped him of his strength.

Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti later published the video along with photos suggesting the Ukrainian fighter succumbed to the onslaught and was killed. Three of his comrades were taken prisoner, the report claimed. 

The Donetsk region has seen some of the most brutal fighting since Russian tanks rolled over the border on February 24, 2022. 

The town of Marinka has sustained critical damage with almost 100 per cent of the infrastructure, including civilian buildings, now partially destroyed. 

Both sides have incurred huge losses – the number of Russians killed amid the invasion has passed 150,000, according to the latest figures released by Kyiv this week, as Putin’s commanders continue to throw wave after wave of soldiers at the frontlines, particularly around the city of Bakhmut.  

The months-long battle for the city has been compared to a First World War ‘meat grinder’, with Russia suffering tens of thousands of casualties while making only marginal gains in the region.

One military analyst said today Russia was sending in ‘human waves’, only for its soldiers to be carried off the battlefield ‘like a conveyor belt’.

While Ukraine does not release official figures of its own losses, it is understood that it too has lost thousands in its fight to keep hold of the city. Nevertheless, it has been able to keep the Russian invaders at bay for months. 

Civilians are seen in the frontline town of Krasnohorivka as the first anniversary of the war between Russia and Ukraine nears, outside of Marinka, Ukraine on February 22, 2023

New video footage shot on Feb. 19, 2023 from the air with a drone for The Associated Press shows how particularly intense fighting since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion has left no building in Marinka intact

A view of the town of Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Feb. 27, 2023

A Ukrainian serviceman gestures as he rides a tank on a road towards the frontline town of Bakhmut amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine

READ MORE: Ukraine’s first lady condemns Putin for ‘mercilessly firing at civilians’ as ‘deliberate missile strike’ on apartment block kills three people 

 

Military analyst Oleh Zhdanov lamented the constant pressure Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut have come under in a post on YouTube, assessing the situation as ‘critical’.

‘They are applying what can be described as colossal pressure, with wave upon wave of attacks,’ Zhdanov said. ‘They bring in reinforcements in trucks and take away their wounded aboard the same trucks. 

‘This process is constant – like a conveyor belt – around the clock,’ he added.

The battle for Bakhmut began about seven months ago, but in recent weeks Russian advances from three sides have left defenders with the only way out to the west.

‘There is a danger that our garrison in Bakhmut will be encircled,’ Zhdanov said.

‘The enemy is attempting to sever the routes used to supply our forces in Bakhmut and halt all movement along them,’ he said.

‘The Russian forces cannot win street battles in Bakhmut or take the city by attacking head-on. The only way they can take the city is to surround it.’

Ukraine says Bakhmut has limited strategic value but has nevertheless put up fierce resistance. Not everyone in Ukraine is convinced that defending Bakhmut can go on indefinitely.

‘I believe that sooner or later, we will probably have to leave Bakhmut. There is no sense in holding it at any cost,’ Ukrainian member of parliament Serhiy Rakhmanin said on NV radio late on Wednesday.

The number of Russian losses in Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has passed 150,000, according to the latest figures released by Kyiv. Pictured: A Russian tank is seen in flames after being bombed by a Ukrainian-operated drone on Wednesday

‘But for the moment, Bakhmut will be defended with several aims – firstly, to inflict as many Russian losses as possible and make Russia use its ammunition and resources.’

No lines of defence should be allowed to collapse, Rakhmanin said.

‘There are two ways to approach this – an organised retreat or simple flight. And we cannot allow flight to take place under any circumstances,’ he said.

Meanwhile in the northeast of Ukraine, authorities on Thursday ordered the mandatory evacuation of vulnerable residents from the frontline city of Kupiansk and adjacent territories as fears mount Russia will retake the key city and rail hub. 

Russian troops retreated from key cities in the northeastern Kharkiv region, including Kupiansk, in September following a lightning Ukrainian offensive.

Kupiansk is near the frontline in eastern Ukraine and locals fear it could be taken over again.

‘Mandatory evacuation of families with children and residents with limited mobility began in Kupiansk community,’ the Kharkiv regional military administration said on its website.

‘The decision was made… taking into account the unstable security situation due to constant shelling of the territory of the community by Russian troops,’ it added.

Kharkiv region governor Oleg Synehubov said Thursday Russia ‘shelled’ several settlements in the region with artillery, multiple rocket launchers and mortars, including the city of Kupiansk.

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