Russian BMP-1 Destroyed On Video: Video footage shared on social media this week shows when a Russian BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle was destroyed by a Ukrainian strike somewhere near Bakhmut.
The video, recorded from a rotary blade unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), first identifies the Russian military vehicle parked between a hedgerow and several piles of earth.
The clip then cuts to the aftermath of a strike, with the Russian vehicle emitting large quantities of dark smoke. Later in the video, the vehicle is seen completely engulfed in flames.
Popular war-tracking Twitter account Ukraine Weapons Tracker reposted the video on social media after the Ukrainian military initially shared it.
“A Russian BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle was destroyed by the Ukrainian 45th Artillery Brigade in the vicinity of Bakhmut, #Donetsk Oblast,” the account writes.
Russia Is Making Gains In Bakhmut
Reports on Friday suggested that Russian forces had successfully reached the center of Bakhmut, putting more pressure on Ukrainian forces’ supply routes in the region.
According to an update from the British Ministry of Defence, Ukraine’s 0506 supply route to the western parts of the town is “likely severely threatened.” The update described how Russian forces had taken control of the west bank of the Bakhmuta River.
While much of the fighting in Bakhmut has long been the work of private Wagner troops, Russian forces were reportedly used to aid progress, with both Russian air forces and artillery used to pick up the pace of the invasion.
The Ukrainian military backed the report. According to military officials, Russian forces in Bakhmut launched a total of 18 airstrikes, 53 rocket launcher attacks, and five missile strikes in just 24 hours, starting Thursday morning and ending on Friday.
An assessment from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine described how Russia is specifically focusing its efforts on taking the industrial east in Ukraine, including Bakhmut, Marinka, Lyman, and Avdiivka.
#Ukraine: A Russian BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle was destroyed by the Ukrainian 45th Artillery Brigade in the vicinity of Bakhmut, #Donetsk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/sL9fJ4Amg7
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 8, 2023
While Bakhmut may not be considered strategically important for the Russians in terms of the war, taking Ukraine’s industrial centers could pose significant problems for Kyiv when the war eventually comes to an end – assuming, of course, that Kyiv does not eventually fall.
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.
