During the win, Ukrainian soldiers destroyed the iconic Stalingrad tank division’s legendary tanks. After thwarting Nazi Germany’s efforts to take Soviet land in what is remembered as the worst battle of WWII, the Russian 4th Guards tank division was lorded.

The Battle of Stalingrad in 1942 and 1943 resulted in up to two million losses and was seen as a watershed moment in the war.

The renowned division has now been crushed by Ukrainian forces in Trostyanets, a town 15 miles from the Russian border and 220 miles from Kyiv.

The Kremlin occupied the region for 25 days, and photos of burnt-out howitzers and tanks from the Stalingrad division with Ukrainian flags flying again in town can only convey a message of failure back to the Kremlin.

The town was claimed at the start of the Ukrainian conflict following a week of fighting that resulted in video of tanks and artillery.The same equipment that has now been destroyed in the same square by Ukrainian military and rebel groups that have killed or captured Russian servicemen as they have failed to hold onto their new area.

The same equipment that has now been destroyed in the same square by Ukrainian military and rebel groups that have killed or captured Russian servicemen as they have failed to hold onto their new area.

https://twitter.com/Shadi_Alkasim/status/1507856590807789568

“Kholodnyi Yar fighters have managed to expel the ‘elite’ Russian ground force troops, the Kantemyr tank division [4th Guards]

“This was preceded by the defeat of the command post and the leadership of the 96th Separate Reconnaissance Brigade in the first days of the defence of Okhtyrka and the battles for Trostyanets.”

It continued: “After a series of setbacks, the Russian army has fled Trostyanets, leaving behind weapons, equipment and ammunition that the 93rd Brigade will use to liberate other Ukrainian cities from occupation.”

The page then included photos of Ukrainian politicians visiting with residents and others posing with wrecked Russian weapons from the famed Stalingrad tank division.

Sumy has been under siege for about a month, and Trostyanets is located on a vital road 30 miles south of the city, therefore recapturing this Ukrainian territory was critical for impeding Russian manoeuvres and providing hope for a supply line of relief to the city.

“Trostyanets is a town on an important north-south road between Sumy and Okhtyrka,” said former British Military Intelligence Colonel Philip Ingram.

“If Ukraine gets control of that road, you severely limit Russia’s manoeuvrability.”