Footage shows Ukrainians attacking Russian tanks in kyiv suburbs, forcing ‘retreat’, officials say

kyiv, Ukraine – Footage shared by Ukraine’s defense agency appeared to show Ukrainian forces eliminating a regiment of Russian military tanks on the outskirts of kyiv and forcing their retreat – one of many examples of the country’s growing will to fight since it was invaded.

The videoshared early Thursday by the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, showed a large convoy of tanks in the Brovary area, just outside kyiv, before several explosions were seen.

The defense agency said its attack on the Russian military caused “significant losses in personnel and equipment”, according to a statement translated into English. He also claimed to have eliminated his commander, Colonel A. Zakharov.

“The commander of the occupying regiment, Colonel Zakharov, was liquidated. During the battle in the Brovary district of the Kyiv region, the battalion tactical group (BTGr) of the 6th tank regiment (Chebarkul) of the Central Command’s 90th Tank Division suffered significant personnel and equipment losses,” the agency wrote on Twitter.

The intelligence service also mentioned the attack prompted a “retreat” of Russian forces.

Two weeks into its war in Ukraine, the attack served as an example of Russia achieving less and fighting more than expected at the start of Europe’s largest ground conflict since World War II. His overall offensive was hampered by a series of failures, including a lack of coordination between air and ground forces and an inability to fully dominate the Ukrainian sky.

Moscow’s main objective – to overthrow the government in kyiv and replace it with a pro-Kremlin leadership – remains elusive, according to the Associated Press.

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The Pentagon estimated on Wednesday that Russia retains about 90% of the combat power it has deployed in Ukraine, which accounts for weapons and vehicles destroyed or rendered inoperative as well as soldiers killed and injured. These losses, although modest at first glance, are significant for two weeks of fighting.

Russia has likely had between 2,000 and 4,000 troops killed so far, said Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, adding that his agency had “low confidence” in his estimate.

Meanwhile, civilians trapped in besieged or destroyed areas of Ukraine suffered from blackouts, shortages of food and other vital services. Thousands of people also hoped to find relief through safe exits Thursday agreed by both sides in the war.

In Mariupol, the port city of 430,000 people in southeastern Ukraine, Russia’s siege of the city entered its ninth day and local authorities scrambled to bury the dead in a mass grave at the amid heavy bombardment.

Mariupol has suffered at least 8 major airstrikes in the past 48 hours, with a children’s hospital and the central fire department among those affected. More than 70 bodies have been buried in the mass grave since it opened on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

About half of those buried were killed in the intense bombardment of the city, estimated an AP journalist who visited the cemetery. Others died at home of natural causes, but authorities were unable to arrange for the bodies to be collected or buried.

With no sign of backing down from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the war looks likely to drag on. CIA Director William Burns told a congressional panel on Tuesday that Putin is frustrated and likely to “double” in Ukraine. He said it could mean “nasty weeks ahead” as the fighting escalates.

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This story was reported from Cincinnati. The Associated Press contributed.