Wiped out…one by one: Footage shows a Russian tank column destroyed in a Ukrainian ambush when Marines fired Javelin missiles from the front

Stunning footage shows a column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles destroyed one by one in an extraordinary ambush by Ukrainian marines.

The video shows five Russian tanks advancing through a devastated village in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region, where heavy fighting left homes in ruins.

But soldiers from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade watched their advance from their bunkers and fired a barrage of US-supplied Javelin missiles at the tanks, destroying them one by one in a scene of utter carnage.

A missile flashes through the air before slamming into one of the tanks, which bursts into a ball of flames. Once another missile hits another tank and we see desperate Russian soldiers fleeing from the burning wreckage.

The Javelin missile has been an integral part of Ukraine’s arsenal since the beginning of the war due to its ability to effectively attack Russian tanks by flying from high altitude and hitting the target from above.

A missile flashes through the air before slamming into one of the tanks, which bursts into a ball of flames

Once another missile hits another tank and we see desperate Russian soldiers fleeing from the burning wreckage

The missile, which is part of a range of weapons sent to Ukraine by Western countries such as the US and the UK, is particularly deadly against tanks because its armor is thinnest at the top.

The footage shows five Russian tanks driving through a destroyed village before a Ukrainian soldier fires the Javelin missile at the column of military vehicles.

The rocket is seen flying through the air and crashing into the tank, which bursts into flames. Black plumes of smoke rise into the sky and the other four tanks try to flee, dodging the Ukrainian fire.

The same Ukrainian marines fire two rockets in rapid succession at the tanks in a field, causing them to explode into massive fireballs.

Ukrainian troops fire another missile at the pinned down Russian troops, hitting another tank.

After being hit, the Russian tank manages to drive away desperately to avoid the rocket fire. But another missile hits the tank flying over the field, forcing the Russian soldiers to flee the burning wreckage.

Three Russian soldiers manage to jump out of a burning tank and run in chaos in different directions across the black field.

The same Ukrainian marines fire two rockets in rapid succession at the tanks in a field, causing them to explode into large fireballs

Three Russian soldiers manage to jump out of a burning tank and run in chaos in different directions across the black field

The same Ukrainian marines fire two rockets in rapid succession at the tanks in a field, causing them to explode into large fireballs

Another tank races across the field and a missile misses by inches. The Russian tank then begins to back up frantically before firing on the Ukrainian troops.

But the rebel Ukrainian marines respond by firing another missile at the tank, engulfing the vehicle in smoke.

Within seconds, Ukrainian forces fire another Javelin missile at another tank, which explodes in a massive fireball, with large chunks of debris shooting from the wreckage. Then the footage cuts to the burning tanks in the field, torn apart by huge craters from the fierce fighting.

The 36th Separate Marine Brigade said of the footage: “How the javelin throwers of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilinsky, burn Russian armored vehicles in the Donetsk region is a real art.”

Elsewhere on the frontline, Ukraine said Russian forces continued their attack to the east, particularly on Bakhmut and nearby towns, as well as the town of Avdiivka, about 60 kilometers southwest of Bakhmut.

Bakhmut was the scene of the bloodiest infantry battle in Europe since World War II, with Russian troops seeking their first victory since mid-2022.

“Our defenses are holding the city and repelling numerous enemy attacks,” the Ukrainian military said on Facebook Thursday evening.

Ukrainian military analyst and journalist Andriy Tsaplienko told Ukrainian NV Radio that Russian troops in Avdiivka tried to repeat what happened in Bakhmut.

“The city is under constant, daily attack. They understand that they cannot just conquer it and instead start destroying Avdiivka as much as possible,” said Tsaplienko.

The Ukrainian military said a day earlier that Russian fighters had achieved some successes in Bakhmut. Evhen Dikyi, a Ukrainian military analyst interviewed on Ukraine’s NV Radio, said Russian forces control more than half of the city.

“I can tell you that Bakhmut holds its own. But there is heavy fighting in the city and the city center is getting closer,” he said.

If Russian troops are said to have made “any progress,” it is probably because they crossed the Bakhmutka River. They are coming wave after wave and we are talking about a few hundred meters,” Dikyi added.

A month ago, it seemed that the Ukrainian army would leave Bakhmut, but since then it has decided to stay and fight for it, hoping to exhaust and exhaust the Russian striking power.