Ukrainian forces obliterate 42 Russian armored units in Donetsk
4 May 2024 11:17
The Strategic Communications Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports dozens of burned Russian tanks and armoured vehicles. Specifically, 42 vehicles were destroyed by Ukrainians from the 58th Independent Motorized Infantry Brigade and the 762nd State Special Transport Service Brigade.
The Ukrainian department prepared a recording that showcases the destruction done by two cooperating military units in the Donetsk region. The video immortalizes exactly 42 destroyed vehicles that soldiers managed to destroy in the recent weeks of fighting.
Aggressive campaign results in large losses
The Defence Blog portal notes that the aggressor's army conducts an aggressive, offensive campaign, aiming to cross further borders around Chasiv Yar and Avdiivka. For this reason, the Russian Federation sends more machines to the front; however, as shown in the video from Ukraine, these encounter resistance in the form of Ukrainian soldiers.
As a result, the Donetsk region has become a real scrapyard, where tons of Russian equipment rest. Further documented destruction of armoured vehicles is a drop in the ocean of all the losses suffered by Russians, and these are significant, as since the beginning of the conflict, photos and videos have proven the destruction of nearly 3,000 tanks and 5,200 armoured vehicles.
In the context of the video showing the aftermath with over 40 Russian machines, what deserves attention is the fact that many of the machines visible on it were protected with anti-drone cages before destruction. This popular frontline solution is increasingly seen in more machines – not only tanks. One of the examples of the evolution of this type of protection is the so-called turtle tank, which was first spotted in April 2024.
The forces on both sides of the conflict regularly work on increasing the safety of their machines, and thus – also the crews working in, among others, tanks. The role of anti-drone cages is to prematurely detonate approaching unmanned drones – so as to avoid the effects of an explosion directly on the hulls of the vehicles.
Let's also add that on the front in Ukraine, one of the more frequently destroyed tanks fighting on the side of the Russian Federation are the popular T-72 in numerous modifications. And this model can be seen in the video from the Donetsk region.
The most widespread version of the T-72 tank family is the T-72B, i.e., a machine with improved armor compared to its predecessors. It is provided mainly by Kontakt-1 reactive armor. In addition, the T-72B can fire at enemy targets using a wider range of projectiles at a maximum rate of 8 shots per minute. It is served by a 125 mm cannon, which works alongside 7.62 mm (0.3 in) and 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns.
