A Road of Ruin in Ukraine – The Vehicles Destroyed by Russian ATGMs: A video posted on social media earlier this week by the open-source intelligence group Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) showed several Ukrainian military vehicles that were disabled by Russian anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and artillery on the road to Ivanivske outside of Bakhmut.
Though just 30 seconds long, nearly a half dozen vehicles could be seen in the clip.
This included the wrecks of a YPR-765 armored personnel carrier (APC), a T-64BV medium tank, an ATF Dingo heavily armored military MRAP infantry mobility vehicle, and a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV).
It is unclear from the footage if any vehicles could be recovered. @UAWeapons added that a Ukrainian M1151A1 armored vehicle and an MT-LB-S armored medical evacuation vehicle were also destroyed in Bakhmut.
The Road of Ruin
The road seen in the video was near the historic village of Ivanivske, which was founded in the 18th century, and is about 61 km (38 miles) west of Bakhmut.
It is known for numerous Bronze Age burial mounds that surround the settlement – and though those have survived the ravages of time and numerous wars, there have been renewed fears that the historically important sites could be destroyed in the ongoing conflict.
Russian forces have conducted assaults on the outskirts of Ivanivske in recent days.
Last month Russian Airborne (VDV) along with militia forces from the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic had attempted to gain control of the village.
As the fighting has continued, both sides have lost significant numbers of personnel and vehicles.
Graveyard of Armor
The Ukrainian military has been open about sharing the losses that it has taken in the fighting and has not tried to conceal that in war there will be losses.
The area around Bakhmut has become a graveyard of destroyed tanks and other armored vehicles.
The battle for the city has been ongoing since August of last year, and while Russia controls the majority of the urban center, Ukraine’s forces maintain a hold of the western portions of the city. Both sides have suffered significant casualties.
The fighting has repeatedly evoked comparisons to the Battle of Stalingrad during the Second World War.
At the same time, the defensive positions on the perimeter have been described as resembling the Western Front during the First World War.
The Kremlin had set a goal of capturing the city of Bakhmut by Tuesday, May 9 to coincide with Russia’s annual Victory Day parades that take part across the country to celebrate the Red Army’s defeat of Nazi Germany.
However, a number of regions have canceled the parades citing security concerns. In addition, there have been reports that the Russian military likely lacks the vehicles to hold more than a few grand parades – as it had sent thousands of tanks and other vehicles to Ukraine.
If the fighting continues, there may be a point when Eastern Ukraine is littered with more destroyed vehicles than those actually in service.
#Ukraine: Ukrainian equipment destroyed and taken out of action by Russian ATGMs and artillery on the road to Ivanivske and in Bakhmut, #Donetsk Oblast – a YPR-765 APC, T-64BV tank, ATF Dingo and a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle. pic.twitter.com/d1mUaePbra
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 3, 2023
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.
