Hero Ukrainian soldier keeps battling Russian tank despite constant barrage of shells and machinegun fire
Brutal footage has emerged of the moment one brave Ukrainian soldier waged a bitter fight against an entire platoon of Russian troops and their armoured personnel carrier (APC) before making the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
The unnamed soldier was dug into a trench just south of Marinka, a town close to the city of Donetsk in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region where fierce fighting has raged for months.
Drone cameras captured the harrowing footage which saw the soldier fighting desperately against a horde of Russian troops storming his position.
His position is battered with constant automatic weapons fire and even artillery shells fired from the Russian APC.
But he continues to duck, weave and hunker down beneath the lip of the trench before firing back, undeterred by the unending barrage of fire raining down on his position.
A pro-Ukrainian account posted a caption of the video on Twitter, describing the soldier as a 'hero'.
'Our hero under heavy fire one-on-one with an APC. Books should be written about these people, and they are just silently defending our country.'
The brave Ukrainian soldier continued to battle on but by the end of the clip it was clear he was dramatically outgunned and the shockwaves of shells exploding around him had sapped him of his strength.
Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti later published the video along with photos suggesting the Ukrainian fighter succumbed to the onslaught and was killed. Three of his comrades were taken prisoner, the report claimed.
The Donetsk region has seen some of the most brutal fighting since Russian tanks rolled over the border on February 24, 2022.
The town of Marinka has sustained critical damage with almost 100 per cent of the infrastructure, including civilian buildings, now partially destroyed.
Both sides have incurred huge losses - the number of Russians killed amid the invasion has passed 150,000, according to the latest figures released by Kyiv this week, as Putin's commanders continue to throw wave after wave of soldiers at the frontlines, particularly around the city of Bakhmut.
The months-long battle for the city has been compared to a First World War 'meat grinder', with Russia suffering tens of thousands of casualties while making only marginal gains in the region.
One military analyst said today Russia was sending in 'human waves', only for its soldiers to be carried off the battlefield 'like a conveyor belt'.
While Ukraine does not release official figures of its own losses, it is understood that it too has lost thousands in its fight to keep hold of the city. Nevertheless, it has been able to keep the Russian invaders at bay for months.
They are applying what can be described as colossal pressure, with wave upon wave of attacks,' Zhdanov said. 'They bring in reinforcements in trucks and take away their wounded aboard the same trucks.