Grisly images showing bodies of dead Russian soldiers arranged in Z pattern have surfaced on social media. The images surfaced following the flush out of Russian soldiers from the town of Staryi Saltiv, near Kharkiv in north-eastern Ukraine.
According to the Pentagon, the Ukrainian troops have successfully pushed the Russians back from the strategically important city of Kharkiv, which has been under attack since the start of the conflict in February.
Dead Bodies Lying in the Street
The dead bodies of the Russian soldiers were found arranged in a 'Z' formation in the streets of a village which was recently recaptured by the y Ukrainian forces. The bodies were discovered by Associated Press journalists, reported the New York Post. A white arm band, commonly worn by Russian soldiers, was also visible on the dead bodies.
The outlet also reported that a burnt body was also seen propped on an anti-tank barrier. The symbol Z, which is not part of not part of the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, gained notoriety after it was found painted on several Russian armored vehicles used for Ukrainian invasion. The Z symbols were spotted and filmed two days prior to Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering tanks and 10,000 military troops into eastern Ukraine on February 24.
As reported earlier, Rob Lee, analyst of Russian defense policy had tweeted, "It appears Russian forces near the border are painting markers, in this case "Z", on vehicles to identify different task forces or echelons. Several Msta-S howitzers, R-149MA1 command-staff vehicles, TOS-1A thermobaric MLRS, MT-LB, and BMP-2 in Belgorod." According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Z stands for Eastern Military district, while V stands for Naval infantry.
Russia Renews Assault on Azovstal Steel Plant
On Tuesday, after a cease fire broke down, Russia launched a fresh attack on the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol. Reportedly, 101 civilians, trapped underground were rescued during the UN-brokered evacuation. BBC reported that there were still hundreds of civilians still trapped in the underground bunkers of the plant.
In an unverified video posted on Telegram, Captain Sviatoslav Palamar of Ukraine's Azov Regiment said that Russia pounded the steel works with naval and barrel artillery through the night and dropped heavy bombs from planes.
"As of this moment, a powerful assault on the territory of the Azovstal plant is under way with the support of armored vehicles, tanks, attempts to land on boats and a large number of infantry," Palamar said adding that two civilians were killed and 10 injured in the fresh assault.
