In this edited drone footage, a Russian T-80 is travelling across open terrain, pockmarked with mine and shell craters, and is struck by a mine, suffering a mobility kill. The crew can be seen exiting the vehicle and fleeing to the tree line at the top of the screen. The video then cuts to a second perspective, in which the drone circles the immobilized tank and then appears to dive onto the turret from the rear. A third perspective appears to show a drone diving onto the crew as they flee, although in the first segment of the video the crew appear to escape. The final segment, filmed from a greater distance, shows secondary detonations as the fuel and ammo cook off.

Since the onset of the war footage has surfaced showing Russian armored vehicles employed individually and without support from infantry or other vehicles, and in this video that trend continues unabated. Vehicles, like machine guns and soldiers, are best employed in pairs so that they can provide mutual support and recovery assistance. The insistence of the Russian army in sending $3 million assets cruising about the battlespace alone and unafraid is baffling. Attrition and exigent circumstances on the battlefield can force leaders to accept risk, and there is doubtless more to this story that we do not know, but on this day yet another main battle tank can be added to the more than 2,000 the Russians have lost since February 2022.

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through sailing.