PUTIN ON A SHOW
Kyiv puts Putin’s captured burnt-out tanks on display in humiliating blow for Russian tyrant as invasion stalls
DRAMATIC pictures lay bare Vladimir Putin's embarrassment at not being able to capture Kyiv as its streets have been filled with burnt-out tanks.
The Russian tyrant arrogantly thought he could sweep in and seize Ukraine's capital within days - but almost six months on the city remains tightly in Volodymyr Zelensky's grip.
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Powerful footage shows locals walking through a maze of destroyed and captured military vehicles that are being displayed in the streets of Kyiv as Putin's invasion continues to falter.
According to data from Ukraine's military, Putin has suffered huge losses since launching his calamitous invasion on February 24 - with more than 44,000 Russian troops killed and at least 1,800 tanks destroyed.
This week the UK's Ministry of Defence pointed at Russia's "poor performance" in a stinging update.
British officials said: "It is highly likely that many Russian tank crews lack the training to maintain Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA), leading to either poor fitting of the explosive elements, or it being left off entirely.
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"The war has seen numerous failures by Russian commanders to enforce low-level battle discipline - such as the use of ERA.
"The cumulative effect of these failures is likely a significant factor behind the poor performance of Russia's forces.
Putin had been hoping for a swift victory in Ukraine - but his troops have been met by stuff Ukrainian resistance with huge amounts of hardware rendered useless by hero defenders.
It comes after a Ukrainian official claimed Putin left 20,000 Russian troops stranded in a tactical withdrawal after Kyiv blew up key bridges in the country's southern city of Kherson.
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The soldiers are believed to be cut off from their battalion and key supply lines following a Ukrainian missile strike in the region.
But in the face of humiliation, the tyrant unveiled Russia's deadly military toybox this week as he showed off tanks, missiles and "super soldier" brain tests.
The Russian dictator, 69, boasted that his soldiers' equipment was "decades" ahead of the West at the country's annual arms convention on the outskirts of Moscow.
It comes after pro-Russia mercenaries in Ukraine were killed in a rocket strike — after a photo gave away the position of their HQ.
Wagner Group hardmen were wiped out after a Putin propagandist posted a picture which included a street name.
Sharp-eyed Ukrainian artillery teams noticed war correspondent Serhiy Sreda’s blunder and blasted the base with US-made HIMARS rockets.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has reportedly unleashed a kamikaze drone strike on Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Crimea with a second blast understood to have rocked a nearby airfield.
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Footage shared on social media appears to show huge plumes of black smoke rising from the base in Sevastopol as tourists watched on in horror.
Meanwhile, three explosions were reportedly heard at an airfield in Bakhchisaray, around 48km from Sevastopol.
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