Russia's 'Blazing Sun' Flamethrower, Howitzers Hit in Kherson Blitz: Video

A video circulating on social media appears to show the moment Ukrainian forces strike Russia's TOS-1A "Solntsepek" (Blazing Sun) thermobaric rocket launcher and multiple howitzers in the southern Kherson region.

Special Kherson Cat, an account on X (formerly known as Twitter) that posts videos from the war in Ukraine, shared a two-minute clip on Friday that is dated November 16, and appears to be shot by a drone. Set to Ukrainian pop music, the aerial footage shows a compilation of strikes on Russian equipment.

It comes as Ukraine has been gradually expanding a bridgehead on the Russian-controlled bank of the Dnieper River in Kherson amid its counteroffensive to recapture its occupied territories.

Kyiv's troops reached the occupied side of the Dnieper in mid-October after extensive cross-river operations. That followed Ukraine's successful liberation of the city of Kherson and the west bank of the river toward the end of 2022.

Recent battlefield reports suggest that Kyiv's troops are retaining their positions on the Russian-controlled east bank of the Dnieper River.

On Friday, the command of the Ukrainian Navy's Marine Corps said the Ukrainian army managed to gain a foothold on several bridgeheads on the east bank. The Russian army suffered "heavy losses in manpower and equipment" during the fighting, it said in a statement on Facebook.

"Bombarding of Russian TOS-1A Solntsepyok MLRS, BTR and several howitzers. Left bank Kherson region," wrote Special Kherson Cat in a post alongside the footage, which at the time of writing, had been viewed more than 60,000 times.

The X user tagged Ukraine's southern defense forces, who operate in the Kherson region.

In a post on Telegram on Friday, the defense forces said that in the past day, Russia lost 14 troops, one TOS-1A "Solntsepek" thermobaric rocket launcher, one armored personnel carrier, four guns, and one unit of automotive equipment.

Newsweek has been unable to independently verify the authenticity of the footage and Ukraine's claims of Russian losses and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for email via comment.

Russia's Defense Ministry in April described the Solntsepek (Blazing Sun) as a weapon that "causes panic."

"You are being given a formidable weapon, which has no equal in the arsenals of the collective West," one Russian colonel said in the statement posted by the Defense Ministry at the time.

The Solntsepek is capable of firing several dozen thermobaric rockets and is mounted on different main battle tank chassis, depending on the version, Newsweek previously reported.

The British Defense Ministry said last March that they can create "incendiary and blast effects" lasting longer than conventional explosives, adding that its impact is "devastating."

"It can destroy infrastructure, and cause significant damage to internal organs and flash burns, resulting in death to those exposed," the ministry said.

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