Previously Unseen Footage Shows Ukrainian Tank Towing Russian T-72 – Video footage shared on social media this week shows Ukrainian soldiers using a tank to tow away a captured Russian T-72B3 tank. The vehicle being pulled away by the Ukrainians was kitted out with a Ukrainian flag, and two Ukrainian troops are seen sitting atop the tank.
The famous “Z” symbol used by Russian soldiers throughout the 2022 invasion of Ukraine can also be seen on the side of the tank.
“A Ukrainian tank towing away a captured Russian T-72B3 Obr 2016 recently,” Ukraine Weapons Tracker writes.
“Although we cannot be totally sure, this appears to be previously unseen,” the account continues.
What Is the T-72B3 Obr 2016?
The T-72B3 is an upgraded version of the T-72B tank, which was first used in 1989. This latest version of Russia’s “Lion of Babylon” tank is fitted with a new engine, improved gunners sight, and an advanced fire control system.
Advanced Kontakt-5 explosive reactor armor protects these vehicles from some missile strikes, too. The armor works by exploding when struck by ammunition, pushing the ammunition and explosion fragments outwards and away from the vehicle.
#Ukraine: A Ukrainian tank towing away a captured Russian T-72B3 Obr 2016 recently. Although we cannot be totally sure, this appears to be previously unseen. pic.twitter.com/vy0Q3cPw6H
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) July 11, 2022
Used in 2014 during the Crimea conflict in Ukraine, many of these upgraded tanks have been deployed to central and eastern Ukraine following Russia’s invasion on February 24.
Watch Ukraine Destroy T-72 Tanks Last Week
Footage shared at the beginning of July also shows Ukrainian artillery strikes taking out Russia’s modernized T-72B3 tanks, proving that even advanced explosive reactive armor can’t beat NATO-supplied missile systems.
Even with the protective armor, the footage shows tanks being quickly torn apart by Western missiles, leaving the vehicles inoperable, on fire, and clouded in smoke and dust.
On Friday, July 1, Ukraine’s Operational Command South announced that the Ukrainian military had destroyed two T-72B3 tanks and four other armored vehicles in a space of just 24 hours. According to a statement, 35 Russian soldiers had also been killed within the same timeframe.
Days earlier, an update from the Armed Forces of Ukraine also revealed how a total of 3,645 Russian armored protective vehicles had been destroyed, as well as 75 artillery stems, 2,560 vehicles, and 241 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.
Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security also revealed in early July how Russia has lost at least 35,000 troops so far. The last update on troop deaths from Russia came on March 25, when the Kremlin claimed that only 1,351 troops had been lost.
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.
