Moment Ukraine wipes out Russian troops with massive missile strike after Putin bombed grain warehouses in Odessa in retaliation for drone strikes in Moscow

Dramatic footage appears to show the moment when a devastating Ukrainian missile strike wipes out entire infantry of Russian soldiers on a beach away from the front line.

The attack destroyed dozens, if not hundreds, of Russian soldiers gathered on the occupied Dzharylhach Island in the Kherson region, it is alleged.

Drone footage shows infantry troops training in separate groups, presumably assuming they are too far from the front line to be hit.

Subsequently, a large explosion is seen at the place where the armed forces were assembled, with Ukrainian media reporting that about 200 Russian troops were killed in the attack – claims that could not be independently verified.

Ukrainian sources say five High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) attacks were carried out after tips from local ‘underground’ sources in the occupied area. Russian sources accepted that their troops had been hit.

The attack came after Russian drones bombed Izmail, a Ukrainian port city in the Odessa region along the border with Romania. They caused significant damage and a massive fire to facilities important to grain exports.

Drone footage shows infantry troops training in separate groups, likely assuming they are too far from the front line to be hit

Dramatic drone video appears to show the targets spawning from the air before they strike

A large explosion is seen at the site where the armed forces were assembled, and Ukrainian media reported that about 200 Russian troops were killed – claims that could not be independently verified

Footage released by the Ukrainian military shows targets it allegedly hit along the beach

Ukrainian sources say five High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) attacks were carried out

Wednesday’s attack on Russian troops indicates that pro-Kyiv informers are becoming a growing problem for Vladimir Putin’s grip on Ukraine’s occupied territories.

The pro-war Moscow channel Rybar said it was “another vivid illustration of the fact that allowing large gatherings of people even in the rear – at a distance from the combat zone – can have bad consequences.”

The National Resistance Center in Ukraine said: “Thanks to the information from the underground in the temporarily occupied area, dozens of invaders and enemy equipment were destroyed.”

Media reports in Ukraine say the number is higher, around 200, according to the Kyiv Post.

The beach location is about 80 kilometers from the nearest Ukrainian-occupied territory.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington DC think tank, wrote in a July 23 review that the Russian military had recently set up training camps on Dzharylhach.

These were used by ‘demoted units from various parts of the front to Kherson Oblast’ for recovery and training.

The island is located off the northwest coast of Putin-annexed Crimea and drone footage shows the long beaches.

A massive inferno broke out at an oil depot in Izmail, Odessa region as a result of a Russian attack.

A message from Rybar said: ‘The soldiers are engaged in combat training, but in one of the frames the formation of personnel hit.

Some time later, the AFU struck there from MLRS HIMARS.

‘Probably the military on the island relaxed a little because of the sense of imaginary security: the front line is 80 kilometers away, the terrain is unremarkable, there are no tents on a free field or warehouses with ammunition.

“But the enemy took advantage of that recklessness.

“Let’s be realistic: it won’t be possible to avoid absolutely all crowds in the back, and in principle it won’t always be possible.”

Explosions at the Hvardiiske site of a Russian military base in annexed Crimea

Photos appear to show a massive explosion at the site – an airfield used as a military base by Putin’s invading forces

The gathering of troops in the open was too obvious.

“Let this video be a memo to Russian military personnel with a clear reminder that even in the rear it is worth taking the necessary precautions.”

Kiev hit back after Russian drones carried out attacks on grain warehouses in Izmail, Odessa Oblast region.

These followed the end of a deal with Russia that had allowed Ukrainian shipments to world markets from the Black Sea port of Odessa.

Since the deal was scrapped, Russia has hammered the country’s ports with strikes, further blowing the major industry.

The base would be home to Russia’s 37th Air Regiment. Ukraine has carried out several attacks on the country in recent weeks

In the past two weeks, dozens of drone and missile strikes have targeted the Port of Odessa and the region’s river ports, which are used as alternative routes.

In another incident, a missile strike is believed to have hit Hvardiiske – or Gvardeyskoye – in Crimea.

Photos appear to show a massive explosion at the site – an airfield used as a military base by Putin’s invading forces, reportedly housing the Russian 37th Air Regiment.

Russian sources claimed little damage, but there was no independent confirmation.

It was speculated that a converted S-200 ballistic missile or the Grom-2 OTRK could have been used.

But it was also alleged that the attack was carried out by Storm Shadow, an accurate missile supplied to Ukraine by Britain and later France.

Earlier footage shows fragments of a Storm Shadow shot down by Russian air defenses in Crimea, confirming their use against targets in the annexed peninsula.

This comes amid signs that the £3 billion rail section of the Crimean Bridge has been damaged, as has the road section.