Because a new type of jammer was attached to a Russian tank, Ukrainian elite units embarked on a dangerous night operation. Videos document the process.
Terny – Ukrainian units have managed to capture a Russian T-72 tank. To recover the tank, the soldiers used sophisticated tactics. The US magazine
Forbes
reported this on its website. According to the report, the main reason for the Ukrainian mission was Russian jammers attached to the tank, whose functionality interested Ukrainian engineers.
The following descriptions are taken from several videos released by the Ukrainian military. The content and further information on the procedure could be independently verified.
Ukrainian units steal Russian tanks in an operation lasting several days
According to the videos and other similar Ukrainian media reports on the subject, the T-72 was traveling east of Ukrainian positions near the town of Terny in eastern Ukraine earlier this month when the vehicle drove over barbed wire. The wire probably prevented the tank from turning quickly enough and it collided with a BMP, a Soviet-era amphibious infantry fighting vehicle. A Ukrainian drone became aware of the accident and attacked the tank. The explosion only slightly damaged the T-72, but the crew left the vehicle in shock. Additional drones later took out the Russian soldiers.
The tank remained in an area that was difficult to access. But because it was equipped with numerous Russian jammers that were supposed to make it more difficult for Ukrainian drones to locate it, the Ukrainian emergency services decided that it was worth the risk to recover the tank from the mined region.
Ukrainian elite operation captures Russian T-72 tank
On the one hand, the fact that Ukrainian drones managed to locate the tank meant that the jammers did not work perfectly. But the hope is that because the channels failed, Ukrainian soldiers could continue to profit.
It was unclear to the elite units of the 3rd Assault Brigade that carried out the operation whether the tank's engine was still working. At night, the soldiers sneaked into the area to check the condition of the T-72. The official military videos show that it was discovered that the engine was working, but the turret was immobilized by the explosion and the main gun was blocking the driver's hatch.
War in Ukraine: Elite units recover Russian tanks in an operation lasting several days
On the second night, a tanker truck accompanied the elite units and used a crank to move the turret so that the soldiers could open the hatch. However, they discovered that the Russians did not switch off the tank before escaping, which is why the T-72's battery was empty.
The biggest operation took place on the third night. Paramedics accompanied the units, which were towing three batteries weighing 150 pounds each. Also compressed air, tools and night vision devices. While work on the T-72 had begun, heavy fighting was taking place a few hundred meters away. However, under the conditions it was still possible to get the tank running.
But the hardest part of the mission was now to follow: driving the tank more than a kilometer and a half back to the Ukrainian positions without coming under Russian fire. The crew made good progress at first, but then overlooked a large pothole. The driver of the T-72 temporarily fainted during the fall, and the Russian army also became aware of the formerly own tank. Despite shelling, the T-72 was eventually brought to safety, according to one of the videos.
The jammers inspected there did not particularly impress the Ukrainian engineers. But this could be good news for Ukrainian drones. This means that attacks on Russian tanks can continue despite such attempts at disruption.
(fmu)