Moment vicious tank battle erupts in Ukraine as Russia 'loses 1,580 troops in one day'

A Ukrainian tank targeted Russian forces (Image: Defense of Ukraine)

Footage from the frontline in Ukraine has shown an explosive tank battle as Russian forces continue to suffer heavy losses.

The Defense of Ukraine posted the footage on social media website X, showing an Ukrainian tank engaging in a battle with Russian tanks.

The clips show the Ukrainian tank opening fire on Russian positions, leading to huge explosions after targets were stuck.

This comes as the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims that Russia lost over 1,500 soldiers, 49 armoured combat vehicles and 32 artillery systems in the last 24 hours.

They said that 1,580 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in the fighting. Nine tanks were also among the losses.

Russia lost nine tanks in one day this week (Image: Defense of Ukraine)

Much of the fighting is taking place in Kursk, an area of southern Russia that was claimed by Ukraine in the summer.

Moscow's troops have claimed back some of that territory, but Stanislav Krasnov, a platoon commander with Ukraine's 95th Airborne Assault Brigade, claims the Russians have lost a lot of men in the process.

He said: "The Russians are not able to break through our defense line. They are suffering huge losses, a large amount of infantry and equipment they are using is being wasted. Our defence line holds."

Commander Krasnov added that the Russian losses are "simply colossal."

He continued: "They outnumber us by ten times in terms of casualties...On their defence line, dozens of bodies are left lying in the field every day. That's why they engage infantry wherever they can."

The tank opened fire at a number of Russian targets (Image: Defense of Ukraine)

Ukraine has claimed that Russia has lost almost 10,000 tanks, almost 20,000 armoured personal vehicles and has suffered almost 30,000 vehicles and fuel tank losses. Kyiv believes that Russia has lost over 700,000 soldiers since the war began in February 2022.

The complexion of the war could change soon, however, after Donald Trump secured victory in the US election this week. Mr Trump has repeatedly stated that he will end the war quickly when he enters office but has not yet specified how.

He has previously called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "salesman" and refused to say who he would want to see win the war. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Mr Trump on Thursday that the war cannot be stopped "overnight."

He said: "We have repeatedly said that the United States can help end the conflict in Ukraine. This, of course, cannot be done overnight."