Russian forces halt near Zelenyj Szlyak amid heavy losses
The Russians, despite some successes in the Kursk region, have stalled near the village of Zelenyj Szlyak, and the main road providing support and supplies is regularly shelled by the Ukrainians. The result is dozens of wrecked Russian vehicles worth millions of pounds.
The Russians have positioned themselves between Ukrainian forces near the village of Zelenyj Szlyak but have made no further advances for a week. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians, who still hold the flanks, are shelling the only two roads the Russians can utilise during the rainy season.
The road is being targeted by artillery, drone operators, and M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles from the 47th Mechanized Brigade in the area. Consequently, the road is scattered with the wrecks of equipment worth tens of millions of pounds. The 155th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet has suffered the most significant losses.
The road of death in the Kursk region — here's what the Russians lost
The majority of the lost vehicles are from the BMP family of infantry fighting vehicles and even lighter armoured BMDs designed for parachute drops. The BMP/BMD-1 version is equipped with a low-pressure 73 mm gun capable of firing fragmentation and shaped-charge projectiles.
Newer BMP/BMD-2 versions have been fitted with a 30 mm automatic cannon, which is a much more versatile weapon. Additionally, they usually come with an anti-tank guided missile launcher for targetting vehicles. These vehicles typically accompany tanks, a few wrecks of which can also be seen.
Armour is a serious issue as only the front plate can withstand more than a machine gun loaded with armour-piercing ammunition. Meanwhile, the sides can be penetrated by any heavy machine gun of calibre 12.7 mm, and depending on the distance, even an FN FAL or MG3. It is worth noting that the steel armour of the BMP series vehicles offers more protection than the aluminium alloy of the airborne BMDs.
In addition, the footage also shows general-purpose armoured vehicles GAZ Tigr, produced since 2005. They only provide protection against small arms fire from weapons like AK rifles and fragments from artillery shells.
There are also 3-STS Achmat vehicles produced exclusively for Kadyrov's forces, based on the Ural-4320 truck with a 6x6 configuration, which was supposed to be armoured to withstand fire from heavy machine guns of calibre 12.7 mm or an anti-tank mine, similar to MRAP-type vehicles like Typhoon.
