The Ukraine war seems to be getting worse by the day.
And yet, social media provides anyone with internet access a window into the conflict.
Putin won’t be pleased with what could be seen right from his own mobile phone:
New Footage: The War in Ukraine Rages on Social Media
A video posted to social media on Tuesday morning highlighted the destruction of a Russian armored personnel carrier (APC) in the Luhansk Oblast.
The 33-second-long clip shows the light vehicle taking artillery fire as it appeared to find concealment in the tree line along a dirt road.
Two individuals are seen outside the MT-LB APC when it comes under fire, and they appear to be injured as they scurried to safety.
Ukraine’s Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas the Great
The strike was apparently carried out by members of the Ukrainian Army’s 40th Separate Artillery Brigade, a unit that was first activated in May 2015.
Based in Perovmaisk in the Mykolaiv Oblast, the 40th Artillery Brigade was awarded the honorific “Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas the Great” on August 23, 2020.
For its role in the defense of Ukraine following Russia’s unprovoked invasion last year, including its service at Kharkiv, the brigade received the honorary award of “For Courage and Bravery” by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The unit was also one of the defenders of Bakhmut that provided a wall of Ukrainian artillery that helped hold the besieged city for months.
The 40th Separate Artillery Brigade has made good use of drones in spotting enemy positions, and it has widely shared its exploits on social media.
Russia’s Light Towing Vehicle
Based on the video footage, another MT-LB has been destroyed in the fighting. Russia had at least 3,300 in service at the start of the war, but these platforms are proving highly vulnerable to drones and man-portable anti-tank weapons.
Though technically an APC, the MT-LB was initially developed to tow a trailer or a weapon of up to 6,500 kg or to carry up to 2,000 kg of equipment. Alternatively, a total of 11 soldiers can be carried inside the hull. They can enter and leave the vehicle through two doors at the rear. Interestingly, the vehicles were initially produced at the Kharkiv Tractor Plant, now in Ukraine. It first entered service in the early 1970s.
The vehicle has a hull of all-welded steel armor, while the MT-LB was designed to be fully amphibious and can be propelled in the water by its tracks. It can be adapted to provide a number of armored support vehicle roles, and most were equipped with a turret from the Soviet BTR-80.
The main armament typically consisted of a 7.62mm PKT machine gun, while some variants could also be armed with an AGS-17 30 mm automatic grenade launcher.
The MT-LB was first employed in combat in the Soviet-Afghan War, where it was used as a frontline load carrier for anything from ammunition to fuel, as well as a mobile platform for numerous weapons systems.
In Ukraine, Russia has primarily used it as an APC, but it would seem to be little more than a steel coffin should the vehicle be targeted by enemy artillery or drones.
Note: before watching the video, please know that viewer discretion is advised.
#Ukraine: A Russian MT-LB armored personnel carrier was destroyed by an artillery strike of the Ukrainian 40th Artillery Brigade in #Luhansk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/AtB7ehOdNf
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 30, 2023
FROM 19FortyFive: How To Sink A $3 Billion Dollar Submarine: Leave A Hatch Open
FROM 19FortyFive – Ukraine War Ending: Putin Sick with Cancer and Passes Away?
FROM 19FortyFive – Ukraine War Ending: Putin Gets Wiped Out in Coup?
Author Experience and Expertise
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
