Ukrainian troops have revealed how they used a drone to hunt out a Russian tank column and then blast it to bits with artillery fire.

Footage of the strike released by Ukrainian forces shows a drone being launched by Ukrainian Surveillance Systems Operators (SSO) while troops set up a mobile artillery piece.

The next images show the smoking ruins of what are said to be Russian tanks and armoured vehicles.

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement on 27th April: “For the past eight years, we have been preparing around the clock to repel full-scale armed aggression by the Russian Federation.

“The skills we have acquired now help us to effectively destroy the enemy.

“The video shows the top work of the SSO units of the Special Operations Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Together to victory!”

The Command of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine also said in a statement: “Behind the scenes of this video is the skilful and difficult work of the SSO group of Ukraine.

“After all, at the very moment when our operators were pinpointing the fire of Ukrainian artillery, they themselves came under fire from Russian artillerymen.

“As a result of joint work of SSO soldiers and artillery from the Defence Forces of Ukraine, three tanks of the occupiers were destroyed and the enemy’s infantry fighting vehicles were disabled.”

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin called a “special military operation”. Today marks the 64th day of the invasion.

From 24th February to 27th April, the total combat losses of Russian troops stand at 22,400 personnel, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military also claims that Russia has lost 939 battle tanks, 2,342 combat armoured vehicles, 421 artillery systems, 149 MLR systems, 71 anti-aircraft systems, 185 warplanes, 155 helicopters, 1,666 vehicles, 8 vessels, 76 fuel tank trucks, 207 operational-tactical level UAVs, 31 units of special equipment, and four mobile SRBM systems.

The talks involving US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Kyiv on Sunday mark the highest-level visit by US officials since the Russian invasion began. Officials said Washington has pledged over USD 700 million (GBP 549 million) in additional military aid to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, President Putin has reportedly agreed “in principle” to the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol by representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee for the Red Cross. The Russian leader made the concession to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a meeting in Moscow.