The war in Ukraine is considered to be one of the most deadly conflict since World War II.
Tenions are flying high – especially since the armed rebellion of the Wagner Group that began a march to Moscow before they stood down.
However, if we want to make war comparisons, World War I could be a key comparison for one reason: trench warfare in Ukraine:
Total Massacre: Tanks Fire Into Trenches
A video posted to Twitter back in early April by UkraineNewsLive (@UkraineLiveNews) appeared to show a Ukrainian T-72 main battle tank (MBT) aiming its main gun directly into a shallow Russian trench line.
Several Russian soldiers can be seen attempting to take cover when they come under direct fire.
It appears to have been in a highly contested battle space, as the trees are little more than burned-out stalks while the ground was pocked with shell craters.
The 21-second clip, which was likely filmed by a drone, ends just as the smoke from the explosion begins to clear – but it is doubtful anyone could have survived such a direct assault.
Such “combat porn” videos have become increasingly common, and while it is perhaps morbid that such content can be so readily shared, this also provides the world with a largely unfiltered view from the frontlines. There is clear desperation on the part of the Russian soldiers, as well as a determination by the Ukrainian tank crews.
It is unclear where exactly this footage was recorded, but the fighting has been especially intense in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine near the city of Donetsk. Given that the Russian trenches were shallow and appeared to be hastily dug, it could suggest that the Kremlin’s forces had recently come under a counterattack – as Ukraine’s defensive positions tend to be deeper and more fortified.
Somme 2023?
The trenches around the besieged city of Bakhmut have increasingly earned comparisons to those of the Western Front of the First World War – and this video also evokes comparisons to the 1916 Battle of the Somme on the Western Front, which saw the first use of the tanks in combat in an effort to break the enemy lines.
Those first iron behemoths certainly terrified the German Army, who hadn’t expected to face some weapons, and the Russian troops in the video seemed to be as overwhelmed by their enemy’s presence.
In this case, it was a Cold War-era T-72 rather than a British MkI, and the Soviet-designed tank seems far more suited to the terrain. But it further highlighted how tanks can still be used break through defensive positions.
Astute viewers may also note that the Ukrainian tank commander may have been overconfident and even cocky in chasing down these Russian soldiers. There was no supporting infantry, and the terrain appeared to offer plenty of opportunity for infantry to employ man-portable anti-tank weapons against the MBT. At one point an explosion is seen on the ground to the front of the tank, suggesting at least some effort was made to target the tank.
Russian T-80 tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russian T-80 Tank. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Ukrainian tank crew was able to get off the shot and most certainly killed their adversaries. Yet, had the Russians not been in a state of panic, the outcome of this video could have been quite different.
As the video could be considered graphic, we made the editorial decision to link to the video instead of embedding it to respect all of our readers age groups and sensitivities.
You can find the video here.
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs.
