Footage from a Ukrainian DJI observation drone shows a Russian tank operating in an area that has seen significant destruction. Suddenly, the tank begins driving down a street when it detonates one or more mines, resulting in a powerful explosion and destruction of the vehicle.

The tank commander can be seen crawling out of the smoldering vehicle and then retreating to the rear, but the driver and gunner are nowhere to be seen. They have likely been seriously injured or killed in the blast and will remain in place as the tank burns.

From the bird's-eye-view we are given, the mine was expertly, but also predictably placed. The road section between the houses to the right of the tank and the long wall running perpendicular to the road make for a choke point that cannot be easily driven around.

It's not clear who the mine belonged to. With as many mines as the Russians have buried in preparation for the Ukrainian counteroffensive, combined with the high number of casualties and chaos of the battlefield, it is just as likely that the Russians are running over their own forgotten and misplaced mines, which is another reason why they are less likely to retreat.

About the Author

Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter