Video footage shared on Telegram this week appears to show a Ukrainian Stugna-P ATGM strike on a Russian armored vehicle.
Posted on a Russian-language Telegram account, the short clip shows a Russian armored vehicle stationary and in the sights of a Ukrainian weapon, before the vehicle goes explodes and creates a plume of black smoke. A secondary rocket is then seen firing at the vehicle, causing it to once again explode.
What’s left behind is a mass of broken metal, flames, and smoke.
“Стугна-П отрабатывает по российскому танку,” the Telegram post reads, per Google Translate.
What Is the Stugna-P ATGM?
The Stugna-P, or Skif,v is an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system designed to destroy tanks and armored vehicles.
Manufactured and designed in Ukraine, the weapon has proven a valuable asset for Ukrainian fighters since February, allowing soldiers to destroy Russia’s Soviet-era tanks and armored vehicles with relative ease.
The missile system is capable of reaching targets between 100m and 5,000m away. At night, the missile system is capable of reaching targets as far away as 3,000m. Rockets typically reach the target within just 10 seconds.
The Stugna-P is also designed to be fitted to T-55 tanks, or the MT-12 anti-tank artillery system. It is effective at destroying stationary and mobile targets, and in this case, it was capable of taking out a stationary Russian armored vehicle with ease.
Designed to compete with foreign missile systems, the Stugna-P is often compared to the Javelin, a British missile system that has also been widely used by the Ukrainian military since the Russian invasion.
Simple and Effective Design
The Stugna-P is also known for its simple design and ease of use. The rocket launcher stands on a stabilized folding tripod and is controlled by a simple ground control system.
Video of a Ukrainian Stugna-P ATGM strike on a Russian armored vehicle. https://t.co/Vpo5FXtIoY pic.twitter.com/Y5Zy4t6BD1
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) May 31, 2022
The control system weighs only 15kg, making the entire unit easily portable. Operators can control all firing operations from a distance of up to 50m using the ground control system, and the laser lighting system means the rocket can be used both during the daytime and at night.
Both 120mm and 152mm missiles can be launched from the system. Specifically, the Stugna-P uses 130 mm RK-2C (HEAT tandem), RK-2OF (HE-FRAG) and 152 mm RK-2M-K (HEAT tandem) and RK-2M-OF (HE-FRAG) missiles, which allow soldiers to easily pierce the armor of most tanks and armored vehicles used by the Russians in Ukraine.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
