During the battle, the tanks of the 17th Tank Brigade of Ukraine-probably T-64 or T-72-from a distance of 15 meters twice shot the Russian APC, completely destroying it. Mark Gertling, a former US Army General, called it "the nearest tank battle I have ever seen. " The clash began when the Russian armored personnel carrier moved rapidly through the field in the direction of two Ukrainian tanks standing near the edges.
Why the BTR crew decided to direct a light and poorly protected machine directly to tanks with powerful 125 mm guns remains a mystery. The Russians may have mistaken Ukrainian tanks for their own, as both sides use similar models. It is also likely that the crew considered Ukrainian tanks damaged and abandoned. One of the tanks showed smoke, which came out of the motor compartment, which could indicate problems.
However, the armored personnel carrier received a direct hit by a projectile weighing about 30 kilograms. Surprisingly, several Russian soldiers were able to get out of the damaged APC. One of them ran past a Ukrainian tank, and his crew did not open fire from a machine gun, which caused surprise to observers. Two other Russian soldiers hid behind a broken APC, but the explosion nearby (possibly caused by drone or grenade) forced them to escape.
English
Українська
USA
Français
Deutsch
Italiano
Polski
Čeština
Español
Slovensku
