Rare Russian Vehicle Destroyed In Vuhledar – Video footage shared online in recent days shows a rare Russian infantry fighting vehicle seriously damaged by a Ukrainian strike, along with two Russian T-80BV tanks.
The video footage not only shows the strikes taking place but also shows the aftermath of the attacks.
The footage is just the latest in a string of impactful videos shared by the Ukrainian military in recent weeks, revealing the extent of Russian tank losses as the Kremlin orders troops to begin their long-anticipated spring offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The video shows the Russian tanks and an infantry fighting vehicle hidden in bushes and parked in a rural field. It then jumps to an enormous explosion, suggesting the vehicles were taken out by Ukrainian missiles.
The fireball engulfs the vehicles and leaves one tank a molten mass of metal.
According to Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a popular war-tracking Twitter account, the video was recorded somewhere near Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast, a region that has seen worsened conflict since the beginning of the year.
The strike was reportedly orchestrated by the 72nd Mechanized Brigade.
“Two Russian T-80BV tanks and an uncommon BMP-1AM Basurmanin infantry fighting vehicle were damaged and abandoned with another AFV destroyed by the Ukrainian 72nd Mechanized Brigade near Vuhledar, #Donetsk Oblast,” Ukraine Weapons Tracker writes.
Russian Troops Refuse New Offensive After Vuhledar Losses
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian troops from the Cossack Detachment of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet have refused to take orders from their commanders over the huge losses experienced in Vuhledar.
#Ukraine: Two Russian T-80BV tanks and an uncommon BMP-1AM Basurmanin infantry fighting vehicle were damaged and abandoned with another AFV destroyed by the Ukrainian 72nd Mechanized Brigade near Vuhledar, #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/hSgQ5ygW4Y
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) February 22, 2023
“Troops from the so-called volunteer Cossack Detachment, attached to the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet, are refusing to continue to take part in offensive operations due to the failure of the offensive and significant personnel losses near Vuhledar,” a Facebook post reads.
British intelligence seems to support Russian forces’ anticipation of more losses in the Vuhledar region, too. According to an update from the British Ministry of Defence, heavy fighting over the last 48 hours in the Bakhmut sector has allowed resupply routes for Ukrainian forces to remain open – even with Russia continuing to encircle the region over the last six weeks.
“Further south in Donetsk Oblast, the town of Vuhledar has again experienced heavy shelling,” the update adds. “There is a realistic possibility that Russia is preparing for another offensive effort in this area despite costly failed attacks in early February and late 2022.”
British intelligence suggests that the Eastern Group of Russian forces, which is responsible for operations in Vuhledar, is unlikely to have the striking force required to make a breakthrough despite intense pressure placed on the group’s commander, Colonel General Rustam Muradov, to take control of the town.
While we have embedded the video above, some syndication partners may not pick it up. Please click here to view the full video on Twitter.
Also, below is another version of the footage described that provides a different vantage point.
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Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He 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.
