The war in Ukraine is well over a year into what is becoming the most bloody European conflict since World War II.
And the reality is both sides have not given up the fight, meaning there is no end in sight.
But that also means more and more social media postings showing how both sides are changing the nature of warfare forever.
Kamikaze Strike in Ukraine
Incredible video footage shared on Telegram and reposted on Twitter this week shows how a Ukrainian loitering munition – or kamikaze drone as described by many – tore apart a Russian infantry fighting vehicle somewhere in Donetsk Oblast.
The intense video footage shows the strike from the perspective of the loitering munition, showing how the drone located and targeted the stationary BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) on a country road. It wasn’t clear whether the vehicle was in use and parked or whether it had been completely abandoned, but the video footage appears to show the vehicle in decent shape.
The video feed cuts off when the drone gets within a couple of feet of the vehicle, at which point the clip then cuts to video footage recorded by a nearby rotary-blade drone. The aerial footage offers a view of the explosion caused by the strike – and it’s clear that the vehicle was completely destroyed.
As the drone strikes the IFV, it is immediately engulfed in a ball of flames. In the moments that follow, fragments of the vehicle’s armor are seen flying into the air, landing dozens of feet away on the ground.
Huge pillars of flames are also seen rocketing away from the vehicle as a cloud of thick, grey dust and smoke rises into the air.
Ukraine Weapons Tracker, a popular war-tracking Twitter account, noted that the incident took place in Rivnopol, Donetsk Oblast.
“A Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle was blown apart by a Ukrainian FPV loitering munition in Rivnopol, Donetsk #Oblast,” the account writes.
The size of the explosion could be explained not just by the strength of the munition used, but also by the fact that the BMP-2’s rear fuel tanks were likely compromised in the strike.
The vehicle may also have been used to transport mines. It is unknown whether this was the case, however.
What is the BMP-2?
Russia’s BMP-2 is an amphibious, Soviet-era infantry fighting vehicle that first entered into service in the 1980s.
Despite its age, the BMP-2 has since remained in active service in the Russian Federation’s armed forces and has proven a valuable tool for Russian soldiers throughout the Ukraine invasion.
Low, agile, and generally reliable, the BMP-2 features a two-man turret with a more effective cannon designed to take out air targets. There are also several versions of the BMP-2 which were designed for export, and many of those in use in Ukraine have been upgraded.
#Ukraine: A Russian BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle was blown apart by a Ukrainian FPV loitering munition in Rivnopol, Donetsk #Oblast. pic.twitter.com/h2ITNIaCZo
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) June 14, 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.
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