The war in Ukraine is being waged live on Social Media: A video clip shared on a Russian-language Telegram channel this week showed Russian infantrymen evacuating an injured troop on a country road, next to a BTR-82A armored personnel carrier. The troops can be seen walking near the vehicle, pulling a wounded soldier who appears to be unable to walk.
As the infantrymen approach the vehicle, a Ukrainian rocket lands near the vehicle, creating a plume of dark smoke.
Soldiers can then be seen getting out of the vehicle while other soldiers run to their comrades to help them. The vehicle wasn’t completely destroyed, and as the smoke clears, it can be seen intact and relatively unscathed. It looks as though the strike could have narrowly missed the vehicle, hitting the dirt road next to it instead.
“Servicemen of one of the units of the Russian Armed Forces during the evacuation of their comrade, as well as the arrival next to the BTR-82A,” the Telegram post reads.
19FortyFive cannot verify the footage independently.
What Is the BTR-82A?
The BTR-82A is a Russian 8×8 wheeled armored personnel carrier used by the Russian and Kazakhstan militaries. Developed by the Military Industrial Company of Russia, the BTR is one of the more modern vehicles in use by the Russians in Ukraine. First unveiled in 2009, the armored personnel carrier is based on the design of the BTR-90A, bringing improved protection over earlier models.
More than just a personnel carrier, however, the BTR-82A features a PKTM coaxial machine gun and a 30mm dual-feed automatic cannon. The gunner’s station has a day and night fire control system, and its surveillance camera system includes a laser range finder.
In the event of a fire, the improved fire extinguishing system protects those on board, and the Kevlar laminated synthetic armor offers good ballistic protection.
The vehicle was also adopted by Belarus last year.
Russian Soldiers Give Middle Finger to Ukrainian Drone
Video footage of a Russian soldier flipping the middle finger to a Ukrainian drone also went viral last week. The footage, only 90 seconds long, shows a group of Russian infantrymen standing by a BTR-82A armored personnel carrier.
Around 17 seconds into the clip, six soldiers can be seen looking into the sky, while one soldier shows his middle finger to the camera. A grenade is then released by the drone, landing on the carrier. The vehicle then burst into flames, creating plumes of smoke.
No information about the location of the attack was shared with the video, but it is understood to have taken place somewhere in Ukraine’s eastern region.
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.
