Video footage shared on Twitter this month shows Russian soldiers panicking after a Ukrainian strike set their cargo truck on fire.
#Ukraine: A Russian Ural-4320 cargo truck and a Scooby Doo van (UAZ 452) were destroyed by indirect fire of the Ukrainian 54th Mechanized Brigade in Zolotarivka, #Luhansk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/fONsVc0p6I
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) December 3, 2022
In the video, recorded from a rotary-blade unmanned aerial vehicle, Russian soldiers are seen running out of a building after a Ukrainian missile struck their position.
The soldiers soon panic, examining the state of the military truck.
As the fire engulfs the vehicle and its surroundings, the vehicle suddenly begins to move.
At first glance, the truck appears as though it is being driven away from the building to avoid an explosion and further damage.
However, given how the vehicle is completely engulfed in flames and no human could survive mere moments in the driver’s seat, it looks more likely that the vehicle’s brakes were released by the fire.
As the cargo truck slowly rolls away into the distance, while on fire, an additional van – a smaller UAZ 452 – catches on fire and is soon completely destroyed by the flames.
“A Russian Ural-4320 cargo truck and a Scooby Doo van (UAZ 452) were destroyed by indirect fire of the Ukrainian 54th Mechanized Brigade in Zolotarivka, #Luhansk Oblast,” war tracking Twitter account Ukraine Weapons Tracker revealed in a December 3 post.
Luhansk Railways Damaged for Weeks
Ukrainian forces continue to target Russia’s military supply chains, not only taking out cargo trucks but focusing heavily on railways in the Luhansk region.
Serhiy Haidi, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military-Civil Administration, wrote this week that Ukrainian “guerillas” are in action targeting railways being used to transport Russian supplies.
“Russians, be careful, Luhansk guerillas are in action,” Haidai said. “‘someone’ set railway equipment (a switch box) on fire. It happened on the railway line connecting between Luhansk and Latranivka near Luhansk power plant (Schastia). Fire destroyed the equipment.”
A report from The New Voice of Ukraine said that the destruction of railway equipment will force the section to “switch to manual control mode,” making it impossible for Russian invaders to supply forces on the frontline with key military equipment and supplies.
As a result of the attack, railway lines could be out of action in some parts of Luhansk for as long as 20 days. Once repaired, there’s no reason that Ukrainian forces won’t use the same tactics again, potentially forcing Russian forces to get creative and find new ways of supplying frontline troops with food, ammunition, and winter supplies.
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
