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Five Russian soldiers have accidentally been killed by one of their commanders, and the Ukrainian defence ministry has shared the footage of the shocking incident. The clip shows the Russian tank swerve past another vehicle that looks to be on fire.
It then moves past another tank, which is surrounded by troops. The turret of the moving vehicle accidentally sweeps five soldiers from where they are sitting.
Some manages to escape unharmed, but other Russian soldiers were not so lucky.
The Ukrainian defence ministry posted the video on Twitter with the caption: “The biggest threat to mobilised Russian infantry are mobilised Russian tankmen.”
The video has been viewed more than 1.5million times.
Logistical issues and low morale in the Russian military have been widely reported on since Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine began last February.
After losing key territory near Kherson and Kharkiv in 2022, Russia is likely to launch a renewed offensive in the spring.
Last month, Ukrainian intelligence claimed that Russia is planning to mobilise 500,000 more men to fight in the war.
The Kremlin had already called up 300,000 conscripts in October.
Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief, said it would take two months for Russia to put together the military formations.
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Igor Strelkov, a Russian ultra-nationalist commentator and former intelligence officer, predicted Moscow would announce a mobilisation in February.
He said: “There will be a second wave of mobilisation. We will be forced to carry out the second, and maybe the third wave. To win in Ukraine, we will need to call up at least another half a million soldiers.
“We expect them to conduct offensives in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, as well as possibly Zaporizhzhia but to defend in Kherson and Crimea. This is the number of men they will need for such a task.”
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Speaking to Sky News. Oleksiy Danilov said: “Russia is preparing for maximum escalation. “It is gathering everything possible, doing drills and training.
“We do understand everything is on the table… I can say that we are not excluding any scenario in the next two to three weeks.”
While Mr Danilov warned Russia is planning an attack, he added that Ukraine could be plotting another offensive of its own.
He said: “We have our own plans and they are clear to us.
“They’re not hidden from our main partners: the UK, US and other countries who are helping us. We will follow our plan.”
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