TechUkrainian border unit decimates Russian tanks and anti-aircraft system

Ukrainian border unit decimates Russian tanks and anti-aircraft system

Attack on Russian equipment
Attack on Russian equipment
Images source: © Facebook, 3rd border detachment named after Hero of Ukraine Colonel Yevhen Pikus
Mateusz Tomczak

26 August 2024 14:42

One of the Ukrainian border units reported a highly productive day in terms of eliminating Russian equipment. Here, we detail the Russian equipment that has been rendered inoperative.

Video footage was posted on the official profile of the 3rd border unit named after the Hero of Ukraine, Col. Yevhen Pikus, which operates in the Kramatorsk area. The footage documents drone-assisted attacks resulting in the Russians losing a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system and two T-62 tanks - one destroyed and the other damaged.

Russian equipment destroyed by Ukrainians

"In a single day, the border guards from the Phoenix unit neutralised three significant military targets. Thanks to the professional work of reconnaissance and strike drone operators, the Strela-10 complex, designed for observing and neutralising aerial targets, was destroyed. A Russian, Soviet-era T-62 tank was also destroyed. Another such tank was damaged," the Ukrainians reported.

The Strela-10 is a short-range anti-aircraft missile system built on the chassis of the MTLB amphibious vehicle. It uses a track propulsion system and an engine with 240 hp, enabling it to reach speeds of about 60 km/h on roads and about 6 km/h in water. Depending on the variant of this system, the Russians use 9M37, 9M37M, or 9M333 missiles. Some versions of the Strela-10 also feature a mounted 7.62 mm machine gun.

Old tanks used by the Russians

The T-62 tanks are among the older models used by the Russians in Ukraine. They were designed in the 1960s, building on the T-54 and T-55 tank series.

They feature a 115 mm smoothbore gun and reinforced armour, which no longer guarantees protection in contemporary combat scenarios. The newly released footage shows these tanks vulnerable to kamikaze drones.

The invaders frequently use T-62M models in Ukraine, modernisations from the 1980s. These models have additional composite armour modules on the turret and hull. The latest deployment of this type of tank to the front was observed in August this year.