12 May 2023 , 22:02
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Vladimir Putin's fragile frontline continues to crumble after it suffered another devastating blow as the bloody war rages.
Russia's £11m missile defence system was blown up by Ukraine on the edge of Bakhmut.
The Pantsir-S1 was taken down during a rival road attack this week, footage of the ambush shows.
There have also been reports on social media of fire and explosions at Alexander Hospital in the Pechersky district of Kiev.
One source said: "There were no arrivals! No alarm was declared. According to the latest news an ambulance exploded."
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It came as the worried head of Wagner warned Russian forces are heading towards the “worst scenario” with swathes of the hard-earned territory as good as lost.
The clip sees Russian troops fleeing the site as the weapon went up in flames.
An elite Russian defence system was blown up on the edge of Bakhmut (Twitter)Later, the 45th separate artillery brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed the devastating strike.
Each unit of the elite missile system costs the nation millions to produce and has been deployed to launch surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery strikes.
The brigade said: "Minus Pantsir-S1. The Bakhmut direction. Air reconnaissance of the 45 separate artillery brigade detected Pantsir-S1, in cooperation with a missile unit and air reconnaissance of the 132 separate reconnaissance battalion.
"The system was turned into scrap metal."
Head of Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an audio message: “The situation on the flanks is developing according to the worst predicted scenario.
The £11m Russian missile is key to the country's bloody battle plan (Twitter)“All the territories that were taken with the blood and lives of our comrades over many months, advancing tens or hundreds of metres a day, are now being thrown away practically without a fight by those who should be holding our flanks.”
It's the latest hammer blow to Putin's failing war and came hours before Britain sent Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine ahead of Kyiv’s long-awaited counter offensive.
The Defence Secretary revealed on Thursday that extra support is coming.
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The 620mph, air-to-surface weapon, which can fly just 130ft off the ground, is a long-range missile with stealth capabilities that can evade enemy radar defences.
The 2,900lb, 6ft 9ins missile, which is made jointly by Britain and France, can hit targets 155 miles away.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut as fierce battles rage (LIBKOS/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Confirming the UK had sent the missiles to Ukraine, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told MPs: “This is a calibrated and proportionate response to Russia’s escalation.”
He insisted Moscow was to blame for the move, adding: “Russia must recognise that their actions alone have led to such systems being provided to Ukraine.”
Mr Wallace told the Commons 23,000 Ukrainians had been killed or wounded since Russia invaded on February 24 last year.
He outlined a string of atrocities carried out by Kremlin forces and updated MPs on the latest developments in the Battle for Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
Mr Wallace said Storm Shadow would help Ukraine defend itself and take on Russian forces as Kyiv prepares for its long-awaited counter-offensive.
“We have seen what Ukrainians can do when they have the right capabilities,” he said.
“Today, I can confirm that the UK is donating Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine.