Dramatic moment Russia’s most advanced tank worth £4 million obliterated by Ukrainians armed with £18k rocket launcher

SHOCKING new video captures the moment one of Russia's flagship tanks is completely destroyed following a strike by Ukrainian forces.

In the clip, the new Russian T-90M war machine explodes in an enormous fireball during fighting in the east of Ukraine.

At the start of the video, smoke and flames can be seen rising from several other spots along the country line, implying it was filmed in the midst of a fierce firefight.

Suddenly, a stationary tank is obliterated by a rocket strike, sending fire and bits of metal leaping into the sky.

The drone footage, which was issued by Ukraine's Ministry of Defence on Tuesday, was reportedly filmed during the battle for Stary Saltiv, north of the country's second city of Kharkiv.

In a further humiliation for the Kremlin, the multi-million-pound tank was reportedly wiped out by a rocket launcher worth just £18,000.

Putin's T-90M tanks, supposed to be the country's most advanced war weapon to date, have been deployed to the conflict as part of the new Russian strategy to seize the Donbas region.

Russia is said to have 100 of the tanks - worth £4m a pop - and before the war, they were regarded as the pride of the Russian military.

It boasts upgraded armour, automatic target tracking, greater accuracy, and the ability to fire missiles as well as shells and machine gun rounds.

Each T-90M carries a crew of three - a commander, gunner and driver - and can travel up to 60km/h on roads with a range of 550km.

It is protected with Relikt explosive reactive armour, which is supposed to protect it against tandem warheads and armour-piercing sabot rounds.

If targeted by a laser beam, it can also discharge smoke grenades, to reduce the chances of being struck by anti-tank semi-automatic guided weapons.

However, the UK defence ministry claims the highly-sophisticated tanks have failed to give Russia the edge over Ukraine's forces so far, and at least one T-90M has been destroyed.

Last week, a journalist in Ukraine posted a selfie in front of what he claimed was a destroyed T-90M tank on Facebook.

After the video emerged, the UK MoD said: "The T-90M was introduced in 2016 and includes improved armour, an upgraded gun and enhanced satellite navigation systems."

More footage released by Ukraine's Defence Ministry appears to show the burned-out husk of the same tank, including a large hole which ripped through the vehicle's tracks, and bent armour plating indicating a further explosion.

It suggests the rocket smashed through the tank's wheels, evading its advanced armour and defence systems, exploding inside the engine compartment and detonating ammunition along the way.

Ukraine claims the tank was destroyed by a Swedish-made Carl Gustaf recoilless rifle rocket launcher which costs a relatively modest £18,500, including the rocket.

In a tweet, Ukraine's MoD said: "The pride of the Russian tank industry was destroyed by the Swedish hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher Carl Gustaf.

"We thank the Swedish people and the King for their help."

It comes as Ukrainian forces are reported to have pushed Russian troops out from Kharkiv and back towards the border.

Although it isn't known exactly when the footage was filmed, Russia's failed counter-attack was launched on May 5.

The pride of the Russian tank industry was destroyed by the Swedish hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher Carl Gustaf

Ukrainian Ministry of Defence

The West has supplied Ukraine's forces with thousands of anti-tank weapons since Russian forces began massing on its border late last year.

This includes the British NLAW missiles, which have helped to devastate Putin's war machines.

The Next-generation Light Anti-Tank Weapons are just a metre long and can be shoulder-mounted, with each costing around £20k.

They have a maximum range of 800m and can penetrate armour at 500m.

In March, Boris Johnson pledged another 6,000 NLAWs to Ukraine, as part of his support to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Kyiv claims that Russia has lost 1,170 tanks - around 40 per cent of its entire force - since the start of the conflict in February.

On Tuesday, a harrowing video showed an entire Russian 'Z tank' column being blown up in a fierce Ukrainian blitz.

In the clip posted by Ukraine's 54th Mechanized Brigade, the tanks make their way down a rural road before being caught in the deadly barrage.

While last month, footage captured the moment two Russian tanks were blasted with bombs dropped from a drone.