Ukrainian forces strike Russian tank in massive explosion

Ukrainian forces have struck a Russian tank in a massive explosion. While footage first showed the Russian tank in flames, a second strike caused a deflagration. The sheer power of the detonation sent the turret toss of the tank flying in the air.The fire sent a plume of dark smoke over the Kharkiv region where the attack happened.After retaking the totality of Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces are now focusing their military efforts 390 miles further south on the Kherson region – another province Vladimir Putin annexed to Russia. In anticipation of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian troops are reportedly evacuating their sick and wounded soldiers from hospitals, stealing medical equipment as they leave the region with 70,000 civilians. President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the Russian occupiers of being engaged in mass theft of life-saving medical tools and ambulances in a bid to make the area uninhabitable.  Ukrainian forces struck a tank in Kharkiv, causing a massive explosion (Image: TWITTER/@Blue_Sauron) Footage shows a Russian tank in flames (Image: TWITTER/@Blue_Sauron)In a video address, the Ukrainian President said: “Russia is making Kherson a zone without civilization, without elementary things available in most countries of the world.”Before Russia came, this region, like all other regions of Ukraine, was quite normal and safe, all social services were guaranteed to people there … Life was guaranteed there. And now Russia is trying to make Kherson region literally an exclusion zone.”Among the items stolen are washing machines, air conditioners, fire engines and rescue vehicles, Kherson locals said. Ukrainian forces are steadily moving towards Kherson, one of the first regions to be seized by Russia in the early days of the war.READ MORE: Putin sending 40k Russian troops to ‘meat grinder’ with ‘no escape’ A second strike caused a deflagration, sending parts of the tank flying in the air (Image: TWITTER/@Blue_Sauron) Ukrainian forces are zeroing in on Kherson in southern Ukraine (Image: EXPRESS)Kherson city is only 18 miles away from a group of the Ukrainian troops, according to Ukrainian officials. The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, Kyrylo Budanov, said the seizure operation of Kherson could last until the end of November.He believes the most trained and capable Russian soldiers are currently in Kherson, the Ukrainian Ukrinform news agency reported.Mr Budanov said: “A large share of them are from airborne troops of the Russian Federation, Russian special operation forces and the naval infantry, so the most capable units that Russia has. Those units form the backbone of the grouping and it’s being strengthened by the mobilized personnel also.”DON’T MISS:Explosions rip through major Crimea naval port [REPORT]  Food prices may increase after Putin accuses UK of helping drone hit [REPORT]  Britain ‘exposed’ to Russian missile attack threat [REPORT]   Russian troops could blow up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, Ukrainian intelligence says (Image: EXPRESS)Russian troops could blow up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the bridge connecting the two banks of the river in a bid to stop the Ukrainian advance, the Intelligence head warned.Mr Budanov added that this might happen when Ukrainian troops take Kherson and if the Russians decide to withdraw.”After withdrawal from the west bank [of the Dnipro River], they might turn to obstruct our advancement to the east bank,” he said.If Ukraine retakes Kherson, it would offer the Ukrainian forces a gateway to the Kremlin-annexed Crimean Peninsula and the commercially important Sea of Azov. READ NEXT:Government warned it is ‘playing with fire’ over UK defence cuts ‘Massive’ attack on Black Sea fleet halts vital Ukrainian grain dealBrit ex-soldiers set for six-figure payouts over ‘poisoned water’Russia’s Black Sea Fleet struck in astonishing marine drone strikePutin blames British Navy for gas pipeline explosion