russian army uses old Soviet tanks as self-propelled bombs – OSINT analysts
Similar tactics were used by ISIS, they note
The russian military has converted an old Soviet T-54/55 tank into a self-propelled bomb and sent it toward Ukrainian positions, according to OSINT analysts who analyzed a video published on a russian military blog.
Source: agents.media.
Photos and videos that appeared earlier on social media show that russia has begun to actively send T-54/55s to the front.
A video of a kamikaze tank attacking Ukrainian positions was posted by russian soldier Vladimir Romanov. According to him, the tank was filled with six tons of TNT and sent "on autopilot" to the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Maryinka, Donetsk region. The self-propelled bomb did not reach the Ukrainian positions within 100 meters, hit a mine, and detonated after a shot from an RPG, the military commander writes.
#Ukraine The russian Army sent a T-54/55 VBIED filled with 6 tonnes of TNT at AFU lines near Marinka, Donetsk Oblast.
– Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) June 18, 2023
The attempt failed as the remotely-controlled bomb ran into a mine 100m from the front line, and was then hit by a Ukrainian RPG shot, causing a huge explosion. pic.twitter.com/sXXI57wV7v
The Caʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ project, which researches weapons, clarified that the tank was a T-54/55. OSINT analysts from GeoConfirmed confirmed the location – it is indeed the area of Maryinka.
Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins compared this use of tanks to ISIS tactics.
In March 2023, the Conflict Intelligence Team reported on the decommissioning of old Soviet T-54/55 tanks, the first modifications of which were adopted in the 1940s and 1958, respectively. In April, these tanks were first spotted in Ukraine, and it was reported that they were used as close combat guns.
Background. As a reminder, russian singers with the mouths of Grigory Leps, Nikolay Baskov and Yuri Antonov promised to pay 1 million rubles to anyone who shot down a Ukrainian tank in the war.
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