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Don’t Show Putin: New Video Shows Russian T-80 Tank Destroyed in Ukraine

In the video, the Russian tank can be seen traveling alone in an isolated field. Within a few seconds, a blast targets the MBT and a fume of smoke arises.

Russian T-80 tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russian T-80 tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Russian main battle tanks (MBTs) have suffered some humiliating blows throughout the last fourteen-plus months in Ukraine.

In fact, the Kremlin is believed to have lost more than 3,000 of its armored vehicles, according to the independent open-source intelligence group Oryx.

While some of these MBTs have been destroyed by drones or other blasts, some tanks were captured by Ukrainian forces, and others were even left behind by their Russian operators, who were ill-prepared to maintain them.

In the early stages of the invasion, Moscow sent its modern tanks, including the T-72 and T-80BV/U variants to the frontlines. Industry experts estimate that approximately two-thirds of Russia’s “advanced” tanks have been decimated or captured.

This week, another T-80BV MBT can be added to the destroyed Russian battle tanks list. Ukraine Weapons Tracker released a video on Twitter depicting a T-80 MBT in the aftermath of a catastrophic ammunition detonation.

In the video, the Russian tank can be seen traveling alone in an isolated field. Within a few seconds, a blast targets the MBT and a fume of smoke arises. The MBT then veers off course and then appears to be completely destroyed by the explosion.

Ukraine Weapons Tracker suggests that the tank suffered from a postponed detonation due to an internal fire. This footage is fascinating since it depicts a Russian T-80 alone without any supporting arms or additional tanks.

The T-80s have not lived up to the hype

The Kremlin frequently boasted that its newer and more sophisticated T-80 MBTs could effectively take out enemy tanks. However, based on the sheer number of these armored vehicles destroyed in the ongoing war, this claim appears to be unfounded.

Back during the Cold War, the former Soviet Union prioritized developing modern variants of the T-72 and T-80 tank platforms.

Similar to the T-72, the T-80 is fitted with a 125mm smoothbore main gun.

According to a 1995 Threat Update from the U.S. Forces Command OPFOR Training Program, “The T-80 fires the same rounds as the T-64B and T-72. These ammunition types include Frag-HE fin-stabilized (FS), HEAT-FS, and HVAPFSDS. With the AT-8/SONGSTER, the T-80 can range targets out to 4,000 meters. The T-8OUD variant is equipped to fire the AT-11/SNIPER (Russian nickname Svir) laser beam-riding ATGM.”

While the T-80’s smaller size could be an asset in one sense since it provides greater mobility, its frame also makes it more susceptible to debilitating attacks.

The tank’s lackluster combat record followed it to Ukraine

The T-80s were initially deployed in the First Chechen War, where the tanks failed miserably against the rocket-propelled grenades used by the Chechen rebels. Due to this platform’s inability to perform well in this conflict,

Moscow did not commit the T-80s to operate in the later Second Chechen War and Russo-Georgian conflict. However, due to Russia’s dwindling stockpile of MBTs amidst its Ukrainian invasion, the Kremlin was forced to send out this platform once again.

Like other military equipment Russia has deployed to the frontlines, soldiers are ill-equipped and unprepared to maintain and upgrade its fleet of tanks. For this reason, dozens of Russian tanks have been ‘dumped’ by their operators.

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Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.

Written By

Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel.

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