A video clip shared on Twitter late last year offers a first-person look at how land mines impact Russian tanks.
The video, which was shared by the popular war-tracking Twitter account Ukraine Weapons Tracker, is recorded from the perspective of a tank operator as it drives along the edge of a field somewhere in Ukraine.
The half-minute-long video shows a Russian T-72B tank driving, firing at a target, and hitting at least one Ukrainian land mine as it moves.
The tank was not left completely destroyed, although 20 seconds into the video, the tank visibly drives over a mine and an explosion occurs.
Dirt, rocks, and dust can be seen erupting around the vehicle and some parts of the tank are visibly damaged as a result. The tank stops immediately following the explosion, suggesting that the mine at the very least immobilized the vehicle temporarily.
The tank appears to be somewhat intact, however, and it’s possible that the operators survived.
Ukraine Weapons Tracker offered some thoughts on the video and noted that despite the tank being fitted with a KMT-7 mine roller, the tank was still severely damaged.
“In the East, a Russian T-72B tank was damaged by a Ukrainian landmine/IED,” the account writes.
“Interestingly, though being equipped with a KMT-7 mine roller the tank still blew up, possibly indicating use of an off-set detonator placed specially to counter mine rolling equipment.
What Is A Mine Roller?
A mine roller is a demining device that can be attached to military vehicles and tanks. The equipment is designed to clear mines and trigger explosions before the tank drives over them, preventing the tank from being damaged.
There are several kinds of mine rollers, but most kinds consist of a fork attached to the front of the vehicle and two sets of rollers that can be placed in front of each side of the tank. The rollers move as though they are wheels ahead of the vehicle, triggering mines as the vehicle moves.
Rollers on both sides of the vehicle are designed to be heavy, to ensure that they trigger all land mines as the vehicle moves.
A video shared on social media in November shows a mine roller in action, attacked by a Ukrainian T-72B3 tank.
The video shows the tank – along with two Ukrainian soldiers – moving along a dirt road with a mine roller ahead of them. The tank is followed by armored personnel vehicles full of soldiers which can travel along the same road safe in the knowledge that there are no active mines ahead of them.
#Ukraine: In the East, a Russian T-72B tank was damaged by a Ukrainian landmine/IED.
Interestingly, though being equipped with a KMT-7 mine roller the tank still blew up, possibly indicating use of an off-set detonator placed specially to counter mine rolling equipment. pic.twitter.com/TGM5s0BSeV
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) December 14, 2022
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor.
