Russia’s T-90M Is Back: Video footage shared on YouTube, which has since been pulled from the platform, shows two Russian T-90M tanks passing through Belgorod Oblast, a Russian territory just north of Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast.
Footage of two Russian T-90M tanks in Belgorod Oblast. Interestingly, the first lacks the tower and has some other differences. Maybe an early T-90M model?https://t.co/kjfVwm2ZRi pic.twitter.com/RQbnfirVZG
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) September 5, 2022
The video was reposted by military analyst Rob Lee on Twitter, who noticed that one of the T-90M tanks seen in the video looked different from the second vehicle. Lee noted that the first tank that drives past the camera operator “lacks the tower and has some other differences.”
Lee considered the possibility that the first tank may have been an early version of the T-90M, though it’s also possible that the tank was damaged in the conflict. Looking closely at the video, some parts of the T-90M tank appear to have been damaged.
Early versions of the T-90M also came with the same remote-controlled turret seen on the second tank, which supports the theory that the tank was damaged. It is also possible, however, that sanctions against Russia have made it difficult to put together the remotely operated turrets given the microchips and other parts required to make them function.
The tanks also appear to be driving through a storage yard filled with other military vehicles. It is not known whether the vehicles seen in the clip are functional or whether they have been recovered from combat and are awaiting repair.
Satellite imagery and geolocation expert Benjamin Pittet used the video footage to find the precise location of the Russian site. In a post, he revealed that the site is a large Russian base in the village of Biriuch, in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast.
A satellite photograph of the area shows around one dozen rows of military vehicles stored at the facility, surrounded by what looks like civilian infrastructure and buildings.
Ammo Explosions Repeatedly Hit Russian City of Belgorod
The Russian base is just two hours away by car from the city of Belgorod, which is closer to the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Belgorod has witnessed some catastrophic accidental ammunition detonations in recent weeks. Only last week, a Russian missile launch went spectacularly wrong when the missile deviated from its intended course and struck the city.
Ukrainian military officials responded to the release of video clips shared online showing the damage caused by an S-300 air defense missile striking the Russian city. The missile was one of six launched by Russians close to the Ukraine border who had intended to strike the city of Kharkiv.
In August, Governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkob, revealed a “spontaneous combustion” of ammunition in the region following videos shared on August 18 showing fires and destruction at a Russian ammunition depot.
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.
