Video footage shared on social media back in early January shows a Russian T-90M tank completely destroyed following a Ukrainian AT4 AT strike.
The footage shows the tank in the middle of a rural road, surrounded by impact craters and emitting a plume of white smoke.
The tank is visibly damaged and stationary in the road.
According to Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a popular war tracking account on Twitter that reuploaded the video to the platform, the strike occurred near Novoselivske in Luhansk Oblast.
“A Russian T-90M tank was destroyed by the Ukrainian army near Novoselivske, #Luhansk Oblast. Reportedly, it was taken out by an AT4 AT launcher which hit the tank under the gun mantlet,” Ukraine Weapons Tracker writes.
An extended version of the clip was also uploaded to YouTube, showing the tank getting hit.
The strike can be seen from a distance, and a second later the tank appears to erupt into flames.
The video could suggest that the impact caused ammunition onboard the tank to ignite.
What is the T-90M?
As my colleague Peter Suciu explained:
“The T-90M Proryv is the latest modernization variant of the MBT that first entered into service with the Russian Army in 1994. The upgraded T-90 tank has been vastly improved in terms of protection, mobility, and firepower. The Proryv variant is armed with a 125mm 2A46M-4 smoothbore gun that is capable of firing standard ammunition as well as anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) Refleks NATO Code AT-11 Sniper-B rounds. Secondary armament includes a remotely operated weapon station armed with an NSVT 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a 7.62mm PTKM coaxial machine gun.
The configuration of the Proryv is similar to the previous T-90 models, with a driver compartment at the front, a turret at the center of the hull, and a power plant located at the rear. It is propelled by a 1000mm 12-cylinder engine, allowing it to reach speeds of 60 kilometers per hour on roads and 50 off-road. The MBT is also equipped with the new Relikt ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor) armor fitted at the front and on each side of the turret.
The T-90M was first tested during the Zapad-2017 military exercise in September 2017.”
Elite Russian Battalion Has Only 10 Tanks Left
Any time Russia loses a tank – even older tanks – it proves a huge problem.
A major shortage of Russian tanks is likely to cause Putin a headache as the United Kingdom sends its own Challenger 2 tanks and America prepares to send its elite M1 Abrams main battle tanks.
#Ukraine: A Russian T-90M tank was destroyed by the Ukrainian army near Novoselivske, #Luhansk Oblast.
Reportedly, it was taken out by an AT-4 AT launcher which hit the tank under the gun mantlet. pic.twitter.com/HnkSdAEYHQ— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) January 16, 2023
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.