Russians Accidentally Celebrate Destruction of Their Own Tanks

A clip shared by Russian sources purportedly capturing the destruction of Ukrainian tanks in Russia's Kursk region appears to instead show two of Moscow's T-62s targeted by Kyiv's troops.

The footage, shared by one of Russia's prominent military bloggers following the war in Ukraine, was described as showing "destroyed" Ukrainian tanks in the border Kursk region after Kyiv launched an attack into Russia this week.

An addition to the post then suggested that the video showed the loss of Russian T-62 tanks close to the Kursk border town of Sudzha.

Newsweek could not independently verify the clip and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Reports from open-source intelligence suggested this week that Russia had lost two tanks in Kursk, identified by several accounts as T-62s, close to Sudzha.

Russian officials said on Thursday that fighting was raging in the Kursk region after Ukraine launched a surprise assault across its northeastern border on Tuesday. The Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Ukraine "was prevented from advancing" in the regions around Sudzha and the village of Korenevo.

Moscow said its jets had fired on Ukrainian positions on the border using guided aerial bombs, which have wreaked havoc in Ukraine for months.

"Attempts by individual units to break through deep into the territory in the Kursk direction are being suppressed," the Russian government said.

Russia's influential military bloggers—each with significant followings that track the war in Ukraine—painted a markedly different picture on Thursday.

"The third day, and the situation has not improved," Russian journalist Alexander Sladkov said.

"The foe is gaining a foothold, pulling reserves, increasing the presence of equipment in the region, despite the constant strikes of our aviation and drones," one military blogger said.

Several bloggers reported that Ukrainian forces had reached up to 15 kilometers, or just over 9 miles, into Kursk by Wednesday.

Ukraine had advanced a confirmed 10 kilometers, or just over 6 miles, into Kursk by Wednesday, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank. Ukrainian forces appear to have made it past at least two Russian defensive lines and a stronghold, the ISW assessed, noting that Russian sources deemed at least 11 Kursk settlements captured by Ukraine.

Kyiv has been largely silent on operations into Kursk, although Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office, appeared to suggest that activity in Kursk could be a test of the Russian population's support from the war.

Andrii Kovalenko, an official with Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said on Tuesday that "Russia does not control the border."

Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of the Kursk region, said on Wednesday that a state of emergency was in place, adding that the situation at the border "remains complicated."

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