Over the weekend, the Ukrainian Army focused on taking advantage of their Donetsk push as they moved forward to the Bakhmut region in the Northeastern part of the Ukraine-Russia border.

There is intensified fighting near Siversk, Soledar, Advdiivka, and Marinka in Eastern Ukraine. However, the most significant advance that happened this past weekend was around the region of Bakhmut. The Ukrainian Ground Forces targeted Russian tanks in the region’s outskirts, and videos show several Russian vehicles destroyed by Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade.

Another video showed Russians being attacked with ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns and assault rifles. These weapons have been a good substitute for fighting Russian and Iranian drones for the Ukrainian Army.

https://twitter.com/StepanGronk/status/1584399684206219264

One of the “most vulnerable blows” to the Russians in Bakhmut is the loss of their T-90 Proryv tank. The T90M is considered Russia’s best active tank. They were an upgrade to the earlier T-90 model introduced in the 1990s. Because of their “rarity,” these tanks were not introduced during the first part of the war. Russians want to keep these intact as much as possible. Some analysts also say that Moscow is trying to keep the T90Ms to prepare in case a war with NATO happens. However, these tanks may not even reach that point as Ukrainians have faced these tanks head-on… and won.

See another video showing the Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade attacking the T90M.

In the Bakhmut attack, the Ukrainian Army successfully pushed Russian forces back to about 2 km to the East. They were able to capture Wagner mercenaries, who are now considered “POWs.” The Ukrainian troops have started patrolling the city to see if there are remaining Russians in the area, but ultimately, they are looking to announce the complete reclamation of the region soon. As of writing, Ukraine has not released any official statement yet.

Russian Fighter Jet Smashed in Siberia

On the other hand, the Russian Su-30 smashed into a home in the city of Irkutsk, Siberia, while on a test flight yesterday. The crash killed two of its pilots, according to Russian state media.

The aircraft set off a fire, but there were no civilian casualties, and the blaze was extinguished immediately, according to the Russian state news agency, Tass. This is now the second crash of a Russian combat plane that happened in a matter of days. The other one occurred last Monday when a jet in training caught fire from its engines. It then crashed into a port town 25 miles from Ukraine.

Russian agency Tass reported that the incident last Monday resulted in 14 casualties. The jet crashed into a large apartment building courtyard, and three children were among the victims.

The jet was a Su-34, and the Russian Ministry said the training was unsuccessful, but the rescue efforts were complete. The Ministry added that there were about 19 people injured because of the event. Additionally, the Russian Investigative Committee has reportedly been sent to conduct a forensic investigation on the crash.

Deputy Governor of Krasnodar Region Anna Minkova also wrote on Telegram that other victims also suffered severe burns.