Ukrainians capture Russian tank and take it on joyride

A video appearing to show Ukrainians joyriding in a Russian tank has gone viral on social media.

The clip shows a group of men cheering and posing as they ride on top of a T-80BVM tank as they drive across a snowy field in Kharkiv.

There have been several reports of Russian troops seemingly abandoning their vehicles in the last week.

Newsweek shared several videos and pictures that appear to show Russian vehicles lying abandoned.

In Sumy, northeastern Ukraine, a self-propelled howitzer, a command vehicle, and logistical trucks were apparently discovered “destroyed and abandoned”, according to the Ukraine Weapons Tracker Twitter account. The same account tweeted a picture of a T-72B tank and reported it was “abandoned with fuel and in fully working condition. The reason is unclear [sic]”.

This comes amid reports that Russian troops are “operating in complete disarray” and morale is low, according to voice recordings from soldiers obtained by a British intelligence company.

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Since the invasion began, more than one million Ukrainians have fled - marking the swiftest exodus of refugees this century.

Meanwhile, a war crimes investigation has begun after Boris Johnson accused Putin of committing atrocities by bombarding cities in his invasion of Ukraine.

Johnson warned the Russian president he “cannot commit these horrific acts with impunity”.

Speaking during yesterday’s PMQs, Johnson said: “Putin has gravely miscalculated; in his abhorrent assault on a sovereign nation, he has underestimated the extraordinary fortitude of the Ukrainian people and the unity and resolve of the free world in standing up to his barbarism.”

He added: “What we have seen already from Vladimir Putin’s regime in the use of the munitions that they have already been dropping on innocent civilians, in my view, already fully qualifies as a war crime.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation on Wednesday night after Britain and 37 allies referred Russia over what the prime minister described as “abhorrent” attacks.

The move came as Ukraine’s capital Kyiv braced for a siege, its second-largest city Kharkiv reeled from further strikes and the control of port city Kherson was contested by the Russian military.

Johnson had spoken to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, promising further support and weapons for the forces resisting Russia’s military and sharing his “disgust” at the Kremlin’s attacks.

Strikes that damaged the Babi Yar Holocaust memorial in Kyiv and the central square in Kharkiv have caused revulsion, and Western allies fear it is a sign of a shift in Russian tactics further towards the indiscriminate targeting of urban areas according to PA.

The UK’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the prospect of a normal diplomatic relationship with the Russian government is “almost impossible” after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

A second round of talks aimed at ending the fighting was expected on Thursday, but there were little hopes of a breakthrough.

More than 2,000 civilians have died since the invasion began, Ukraine’s state emergency service said, although that figure has not been independently verified.

The Independent has a proud history of campaigning for the rights of the most vulnerable, and we first ran our Refugees Welcome campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and launch this petition in the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we are calling on the government to go further and faster to ensure help is delivered. To find out more about our Refugees Welcome campaign, click here. To sign the petition click here. If you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page

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