A video clip shared on social media this week shows the moment that a Russian Tor missile system was damaged in a Ukrainian strike.
In the clip, a transporter launcher and radar (TLAR) system, which includes both a radar system and rocket launcher mounted onto a vehicle chassis, is seen parked in the middle of a field.
When Ukrainian forces strike the vehicle, it becomes clear that the vehicle has not been abandoned as the operators inside attempt to move it out of harm’s way. The entire incident is captured from the perspective of a Ukrainian drone following the vehicle.
As the smoke clears, the TLAR escapes, guided by existing tracks in the grass.
The clip was posted on Twitter by the popular war-tracking account, Ukraine Weapons Tracker.
“A Russian 9A331M TLAR of the Tor-M2 air defense system was damaged by a GMLRS strike of the Ukrainian army in #Donetsk City,” the account writes.
The price location of the strike was confirmed by Twitter account “GeoConfirmed.” The account, which shares the coordinates for military incidents and more, is backed by a network of volunteers.
According to the account, the strike occurred at the coordinates 47.96971, 37.65587 in Donetsk City, Donetsk Oblast.
Could Ukraine Quickly Take Control Of Donetsk?
The New Voice of Ukraine reported this week how at least one military analyst believes that the Ukrainian military could quickly cut off Donetsk from the Russians, and that the proposed plan of action has been viable ever since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. The comments come as Ukraine is accused of starting its long-rumored counteroffensive by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Speaking to Radio NV on May 11, military analyst and reserve colonel in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Roman Svitan, revealed a possible way for the Ukrainian military to cut off Donetsk and overpower Russian forces.
“There are at least two plans of action for Donetsk that have been available since 2014,” Svitan said.
The first, the Ukrainian analyst said, involved the Ukrainian military cutting off Donetsk from Makiivka. Ukrainian forces could achieve this by traveling along the bypass road that surrounds Donetsk, traveling from Avdiivka towards Mospyne and Laryne. At the same time, the Ukrainian military would need to travel north from Mariinka on the same road, creating a “forcep” that can be used to cut off Russian forces and attack the struggling Russian forces in Donetsk.
According to Svitan, the move could work and the Russian military knows it “perfectly well.”
“In other words, the task of cutting off Donetsk can be accomplished. By the way, in a matter of days,” Svitan said.
#Ukraine: A Russian 9A331M TLAR of the Tor-M2 air defense system was damaged by a GMLRS strike of the Ukrainian army in #Donetsk City. pic.twitter.com/0elckY4oyL
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 11, 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.
