Ukrainian recruits practice blowing up enemy tanks by lying in a ditch and waiting for the armoured vehicle to pass before rolling out and launching a grenade at it.

The Ukrainian Navy said on 20th July: “At the base of the 198th Training Centre of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Marine Corps School began its training. The 198th training centre, the training unit of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, is designed for the mastering of naval specialties by conscripted and contracted military servicemen. Located in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.

“For over a decade, ‘rolling behind tanks’ has been one of the main elements of classes during the soldiers’ moral and psychological training.

“It is usually held at the beginning of military service. It evokes a lot of emotions and gives confidence to yesterday's schoolchildren and beardless young men, who for the first time in their lives, roll out from under the steel mass, throw a grenade at it, and celebrate a psychological victory both over themselves and the tank!”

The Navy said they are boosting their numbers since the Russian invasion in February, and that most recruits are not actually “beardless” teenagers, but aged between 30 and 50.

The statement continued: “They have a wealth of life experience and work experience in various organisations and enterprises of state and private ownership. Their faces are focused and do not show any particular emotions. People are well aware of the period in which they serve, and they know their place in the ranks during the war.”

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February in what the Kremlin is calling a "special military operation". Today marks the 148th day of the invasion.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 21st July, Russia had lost about 38,850 personnel, 1,704 tanks, 3,912 armoured combat vehicles, 859 artillery units, 251 multiple launch rocket systems, 113 air defence systems, 221 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 710 drones, 167 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,781 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 72 units of special equipment.

CIA chief William Burns said on Wednesday that there is no intelligence that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in bad health or unstable.

It has long been rumoured in Western media that President Putin, 69, has been suffering from ill health, possibly cancer.

But Mr Burns joked that the Russian president appeared "too healthy", adding: "He is convinced that his destiny as Russia's leader is to restore Russia as a great power.

"He believes the key to doing that is to recreate a sphere of influence in Russia's neighbourhood and he cannot do that without controlling Ukraine".

Mr Burns said the US believes Russia has so far lost around 15,000 soldiers in Ukraine, with some 45,000 wounded.

Washington announced on Wednesday that it will provide Ukraine with more long-range weapons.

This was despite an apparent warning from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that such an act would broaden Moscow's military focus in Ukraine.


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