Watch a single Ukrainian tank ambush an unsuspecting Russian convoy
Throughout the long history of war on this planet, there are many stories of solitary units, even soldiers, facing the enemy alone in defiance. The latest example comes from the ongoing conflict, or Russian "Special Operation", in Ukraine.
Footage has recently been released of a solitary Ukrainian tank, a T-64, dug in and singlehandedly knocked out several vehicles of a Russian armored convoy. The convoy appears to consist of a series of BTR-82A armored personnel carriers and other support vehicles.
The footage, captured by the Carpathian Sich volunteer battalion of Ukraine's armed forces using a drone, offers a normally rarely seen window into the dynamic events of the conflict.
The T-64 is an aging, but venerable Soviet-era main battle tank that was first introduced in the 1960s. Weighing in at around 38 tonnes, the tank is armed with a D-81T 4.92-inch (125mm) smoothbore main gun and protected by between 14.76-inch (375mm) and 19.69-inch (500mm) of armor plating. Now widely considered obsolete, the tank is still used in some armed forces, including, of course, Ukraine.
Originally shared on Telegram, the footage was shared on Twitter by Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) and researcher Arslon Xudosi (@Arslon_Xudosi).
#Ukraine: Remarkable footage of a single UA T-64BV tank engaging a Russian convoy, destroying a BTR-82A from an ambush position. Though other shots miss, appears that this held up the convoy enough for UA indirect fire to strike it, taking out other armour & leading to a retreat. pic.twitter.com/Ax8o23htMD
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 5, 2022
#Ukraine: Insane combat footage shows a single Ukrainian tank engaging a large #Russia-n convoy consisting of several tanks and BTR-82A. Several Russian vehicles destroyed. pic.twitter.com/q6DUmRE98y
— Arslon Xudosi ?? (@Arslon_Xudosi) April 5, 2022
Watch the footage for yourself below.
By all accounts, the engagement occurred on the 31st of March and shows the T-64 punishing retreating Russian forces from the area. According to the original video on Telegram, the tank belongs to the Dmytro Korchynsky Brotherhood Battalion.
In a classic ambush set up, the tank initially catches the convoy off guard before those vehicles with offensive capabilities attempt to defend themselves. You can see from the footage that it takes them a little while to hone in on the Ukrainian tank's position.
The Ukrainian T-64 appears to use high-explosive rounds, rather than armor penetration ammunition from the series of explosions seen in and around the convoy itself. Russian troops dismount and attempt to flank the tank, even managing to lose off what appears to be an anti-tank missile.
Thankfully for the tank crew, the missile misses and hits a house instead. The footage ends before it's clear whether the Ukrainian tank managed to make it out of the situation.
ReachBot, achieves large reach with a small footprint, accessing steep, vertical, and overhanging surfaces in Martian caves.