With Bahkmut possibly about to fall or have fallen to Russia, the war in Ukraine is set to heat up.
What will happen next?
We need to watch social media to find out.
The Latest from Ukraine
Video footage shared by the Ukrainian 95th Air Assault Brigade last week shows the moment a Russian T-64BV tank was destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
The video clip, recorded from above by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), shows the Russian tank seemingly abandoned amidst fallen trees.
The tank is visibly damaged, with a fire raging inside the hill and at the turret’s base.
The clip was reposted to Twitter by Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a popular war-tracking social media account that shares video clips and news footage.
“The Ukrainian 95th Air Assault Brigade destroyed a Russian T-64BV tank in the forests of #Luhansk Oblast,” the post reads.
The T-64BV is an upgraded version of the Soviet-era T-64 tank that has been in service since 1966. The 2017 tank variant features thermal imaging cameras, searchlights, improved Nizh armor, and new navigation systems.
Ukraine’s 95th Air Assault brigade has produced a number of impressive video clips showing Russian aircraft and tanks being destroyed by MANPADS and artillery systems.
In one clip from June, 2022, the 95th Air Assault Brigade targets a Ka-52 helicopter.
In another clip from October, 2022, the same unit takes out a Russian tank somewhere in eastern Ukraine using an anti-tank guided missile.
Ukraine Uses T-64s to Its Advantage
The T-64 Soviet main battle tank has not only served the Russian military well throughout the conflict in Ukraine, but has also proven a capable military vehicle for the Ukrainian forces – despite its age.
Ukrainian forces had plenty of T-64 tanks available at the beginning of the conflict, in part because the tank was built in the city of Kharkiv during the 1960s. Kyiv received 2,300 T-64s when the Soviet Union collapsed. The tanks have remained in service ever since, with Ukraine opting to use its older tanks and storing the newer T-72 and T-80 tanks to later be sold.
T-64 tanks still in use by Ukraine have received numerous upgrades over the years, with modified tanks now capable of firing Kombat laser-guided missiles. The tanks have also been fitted with explosive reactive armor, giving them valuable additional protection against more modern weapons.
While Ukraine has kept the upgraded tanks in service, they are seen in few other places across the globe. The Kremlin’s decision to deploy the tanks in Ukraine reflects the country’s ongoing weapons and tank shortage, as despite any upgrades made to the tank, it is still vulnerable to attacks from modern artillery and missile systems.
#Ukraine: The Ukrainian 95th Air Assault Brigade destroyed a Russian T-64BV tank in the forests of #Luhansk Oblast. pic.twitter.com/EUtOVJjfUR
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 17, 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.
