Ukraine reportedly takes out four Russian tanks in a row with missiles

As the Russian aggression in Ukraine enters its third month, a video that has emerged on social media shows how Ukrainian troops precisely picked on Russian targets.

#Ukraine: Сrazy first-person footage of a Ukrainian Skif anti-tank guided missile operator taking out four Russian tanks and BMPs in a row in the vicinity of Izium, #Kharkiv Oblast.
[Part 1] pic.twitter.com/drlk6TtyjE

— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 25, 2022

The Twitter account has been documenting weapons used in the conflict zone. It has previously brought attention to gems like the abandoned pieces of Russia's newest air defense system and a Ukrainian tank ambushing a Russian convoy. While these are morale boosters for the forces on the defense, they are also a reflection of which weapon technologies are working out during the conflict and which aren't.

How does Stugna-P work?

Named after a local river, the Stugna is an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system that was designed by the state-funded Luch Design Bureau and developed in Ukraine. Capable of targeting both stationary and moving targets, the Stugna-P system can also pick on point targets such as weapon emplacements and light armored vehicles. 

The system consists of a tripod missile launcher, a remote control panel, and guidance devices that can be used with thermal imaging. The range of the missiles is a maximum of 3.1 miles (5 km), but the tripod launcher can be set up and controlled from distances of up to 50 meters away, giving the system a stealth function. 

The remote control panel is a briefcase-like computer connected to the launcher with a cable. Inside the briefcase are a joystick and flat-panel display that provides the operators the feed from the launcher unit, as seen in the video above. The system allows two firing modes: a manual one and a 'fire-and-forget' mode which relies on a laser beam to control the missile's flight. 

The system uses two caliber missiles, 130 mm and 152 mm, both equipped with a contact fuze that detonates when in contact with a hard object. 

Ukrainian made missiles

Last week, we reported that the Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles had managed to cause enough damage to the Russian flagship, Moskva, which later sank. While the Russian military has confirmed the sinking, it has attributed the damage to a fire and a subsequent onboard explosion. However, it has remained tight-lipped about the cause of the fire, which the Pentagon believes is the Neptune strike. 

As the conflict continues and the U.S. and its allies are working to provide more military support to Ukraine to bolster its defense, one cannot ignore the contribution of weapons developed by Ukraine. These weapon systems are a Soviet inheritance, and they have also been highly effective against one of the most potent weapons manufacturers and suppliers in the world.