A US-made M113 armored-personnel carrier (APC) – now captured by Russian troops – could be seen flying both the US and Russian flags in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia front.
The video began circulating on Monday, following Friday’s Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, talks that Trump hailed as “extremely productive.”
Ukraine’s Presidential Office Chief Andriy Yermak shared the footage of the APC on Monday morning, saying it originated among Russian propagandists.
In it, an M113 APC – now donning anti-drone cages – could be seen speeding down a road with both flags raised at its aft, leaving behind a trail of dust and smoke on a country road in Ukraine.
Kyiv Post cannot verify the authenticity of the video.
Yermak said in his Telegram update that “the Russians are using the symbols of the United States in their own terrorist, aggressive war with the murder of civilians.”
On Monday, the day the video began circulating, Russian drone and missile strikes killed three and injured over 20 in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
According to Oryx, a Dutch war monitoring site, Ukraine has had a confirmed loss of 397 M113 APCs since Moscow’s invasion started – out of the over 1,600 supplied by its Western allies.
The footage surfaced after the Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin, where the two hinted at progress between them with the US dropping its plans to impose additional sanctions on Moscow.
The meeting was viewed as a diplomatic success in Russian media, with Putin perceived as no longer ostracized by international society following his red-carpet reception.
Russian propagandists especially seized on images of US soldiers laying out the red carpet for Putin’s arrival, portraying it as the American military bowing before the Kremlin leader.
While the details of the meeting have not been disclosed, a plan was reportedly discussed between Trump and Putin on peace settlement, which would involve Ukraine ceding the eastern Donbas region and freezing the line elsewhere, giving Moscow a de facto recognition of the lands it occupied.
Trump declared Sunday that Ukraine’s NATO membership is off the table, echoing one of Moscow’s core war goals from 2022.
In exchange, Putin has reportedly agreed to a form of security guarantees for Kyiv – potentially with foreign troop deployments – similar to NATO’s Article 5, while barring Ukraine from joining the alliance.
Kyiv and Europe have rejected territorial concessions and restrictions on Ukraine’s NATO bid.
On Monday, Zelensky is set to meet with Trump alongside European leaders at the White House to discuss the proposals raised.