Ukrainian Armed Forces Stole a Russian Tank Again, This Time Near Selidovo - Forbes
Date: 2024-09-06 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
On the eastern outskirts of Selidovo, which is located south of Pokrovsk, there is an underground passage that is quickly becoming a hotbed of fierce fighting in the city.
On Wednesday, a pair of Russian armored vehicles dropped off their infantry there and immediately came under fire from a Ukrainian T-64, which was firing from a fairly close distance. A day later, the crew of the same Ukrainian tank, or perhaps even the same one, committed a daring robbery in the same passage, Forbes writes.
As noted, Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers found an abandoned Russian T-72 tank - and stole it. Selidovo is currently an extremely dangerous place, as the 2nd Russian Combined Arms Army is approaching to increase the pressure on Pokrovsk. Ukrainian tank crews towed a T-72 using their own T-64 as a tractor.
A drone from a National Guard brigade watched as the T-72 rolled up to an underpass and hid in the debris of the fighting on Thursday. While camouflaged and with its armor raised, it fired at least one 125mm shell at something to the north. Three crew members then jumped out and began to run. At least one Ukrainian FPV drone attacked the captors.
It is not yet clear why the Russians abandoned their intact T-72. It is possible that it suffered some kind of mechanical failure - perhaps an engine problem.
This is not the first time that Ukrainian forces have captured an intact but abandoned Russian T-72. In April, fighters from the 12th Azov Brigade conducted a three-day operation to replace the batteries and transport the tank through the eastern no-man's land to the safety of Ukrainian lines around Terny.
At the time, the high density of mines made this no-man's land extremely dangerous for armored vehicles from either side. However, it appears that the mines in Selydove are not so dangerous. The aforementioned T-64 of the Karadag brigade was freely traveling around the city even in broad daylight - perhaps compensating for the extreme shortage of infantry that has plagued the entire Ukrainian army in recent months.
Three T-64 crew members spotted the abandoned Russian T-72 and got to work. The drone watched as the Ukrainians attached a tow rope to the T-72 under cover of a smoke screen. The video ends with the T-64 towing the T-72 westward toward the main Ukrainian line.
"The loss of one tank will not doom Russia's 11-month offensive from Avdiivka to Pokrovsk. Nor will the Ukrainians' capture of one tank save Pokrovsk or the surrounding towns from being destroyed and overrun by a Russian army four times larger than the local Ukrainian garrison. But Thursday's tank heist is still a victory for Ukraine. Perhaps most importantly, it is a morale booster - a demonstration of the courage and ingenuity that Ukrainians will need to finally win the current battle for Pokrovsk," the newspaper concludes.
