The war in Ukraine is a human tragedy like no other in the 21st century.
Both Moscow and Kyiv are looking to gain every advantage they can.
And at this point, it seems Ukraine has thought up a pretty smart way to hide its tanks.
Social Media Might Show Ukraine Hiding Tanks as Houses
This week, footage showing what looks like a house, crossing through a field in Ukraine, circulated widely on social media.
In the short clip, some sort of vehicle appears disguised as a residence. While no one has been able to verify the footage, both Kyiv and Moscow have resorted to atypical war tactics. Newsweek discovered that the “combat house” predates the war.
According to the news outlet, “Other news reports from the same time period corroborate the story, detailing that the ‘house on wheels’ was in fact a pet project of a farmer in the Dnipro region of Ukraine, who converted his old Zaporozhets’ — a Beetle-like Soviet-era Mini — into a ‘real home,’ complete with a functioning stove and embroidered wall decorations.”
While this disguised home may not be a hidden armored vehicle, more main battle tanks and combat trucks will appear in the near future.
Obviously, narratives on Twitter and Reddit surrounding the potential combat truck could be very incorrect. It has become increasingly difficult to verify images, videos, and reports from Russia’s ongoing invasion. Both the Kremlin and Ukrainian officials strategically mask the reality of the war’s impacts, including casualties, lost weaponry, and destroyed heavy machinery and airframes.
Fake Videos Abound
Russia’s and Ukraine’s steady deployment of main battle tanks during the invasion highlights how these armored vehicles stay relevant in modern warfare. While both sides have suffered tank losses, Russian forces have seen roughly half of their modern tank fleet destroyed, captured, or left behind by ill-equipped soldiers.
While experts agree that Moscow has probably lost more weaponry and heavy machinery than Kyiv, false videos depicting the supposed destruction of Russian tanks have circulated. For instance, last March a video claiming to show the decimation of a Russian tank by a Ukrainian anti-tank weapon went viral. As it turns out, however, the footage used in the video is actually from the Arma 3 video game and did not depict reality.
Kyiv Awaits the Deliveries of Western MBTs
In the beginning of the invasion, Kyiv relied primarily on its legacy Soviet-era MBTs to aid its defensive efforts. The U.S. and other NATO member states have agreed to send dozens of more advanced Western tanks to boost Kyiv’s capabilities on the front lines. German Leopard 2s, British Challengers and American M1 Abrams are expected to play significant roles on the battlefield.
???????? I thought that the creativity of the Ukrainians in the art of camouflage would not shock me anymore….#Ukraine #UkrainianArmy #Ukrainians #ukrainecounteroffensive #RussiaIsLosing #Russia #RussiaIsCollapsing #RussianArmy pic.twitter.com/RtX5TfQcFt
— Intermarium 24 (@intermarium24) June 5, 2023
Maya Carlin, a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
