How Ukrainian Forces Keep Taking Out Russia's Best Tanks

Despite the addition of more reactive armor (which deflects the power of an attacking munition's blast - and other upgrades, Ukrainian forces continue to destroy a surprising number of modern or updated Russian tanks.

The fundamental problem appears to be that the basic design of Russian tanks continues to mandate munitions storage in areas where it can ignite if the tank is hit and sparks fly. JL

Jack Buckby reports in 19fortyfive:

Ukrainian forces continue to use Western-supplied weapons to take out Russian tanks, worsening Moscow’s severe shortage of modern armored vehicles. Tanks explode dramatically as they are hit by Ukrainian ammunition.After the initial explosions, the tanks continue to smolder, suggesting that the ammunition within the vehicles may have also ignited upon impact.

Ukrainian Forces Keep Taking Out Russian Tanks in Donetsk and Luhansk: Video footage shared on Telegram, and Twitter shows how Ukrainian forces continue to use Western-supplied weapons to take out Russian tanks, worsening Moscow’s severe shortage of modern armored vehicles.

In one video, the Ukrainian “Kraken” special unit is seen severely damaging a Russian tank and destroying a BTR-80 armored personnel carrier in Novoselivske, Luhansk.

“The Ukrainian special unit “Kraken” damaged a Russian T-90M tank and destroyed a BTR-80 armored personnel carrier and BMP infantry fighting vehicle in Novoselivske, #Luhansk Oblast,” popular Twitter war-tracking account Ukraine Weapons Tracker wrote on December 30.

The footage from Luhansk comes as Britain’s Ministry of Defence warns that Russia is reinforcing a significant chunk of its front line in the region. On Wednesday, the British MOD wrote that Russian forces appear to be reinforcing their positions in the city of Kreminna, which is at risk of a Ukrainian advance. Fighting around the city has intensified in recent weeks.

 

T-64BV Destroyed In Donetsk

Similar video footage emerged in December showing two Russian T-64BV tanks being destroyed by the Ukrainian 59th Motorized Brigade. The video footage, recorded from rotary-blade unmanned aerial vehicles, shows the tanks exploding dramatically as they are hit by Ukrainian ammunition.

After the initial explosions, the tanks continue to smolder, suggesting that the ammunition within the vehicles may have also ignited upon impact.

 

Ukraine Weapons Tracker reported that the incident occurred to the north of Lozove in Donetsk Oblast.

What Is Ukraine Doing With Captured Tanks?

While Ukrainian forces continue to destroy many Russian tanks on the battlefield, large numbers of tanks have also been captured by Ukrainian forces since the first few weeks of the conflict.

Video clips of farmers towing tanks out of the fields continue to go viral, as well as clips of Ukrainian forces towing Russian tanks away using their own military vehicles.

 

A report from the Washington Post this week, however, revealed how many of these vehicles – despite being considered “trophies” for Ukrainian forces – are often left in storage and at repair sites without being repaired. Citing soldiers and engineers working in Ukrainian bases, the outlet reported how hundreds of tanks and other Russian vehicles are “stuck in hangars” as brigades “struggle to find the parts needed to repair them.”

“It’s obvious it should be fighting the enemy and not sitting in a hangar,” one Ukrainian commander told the Washington Post, citing a BMP-3 that cannot be repaired using Ukrainian parts.