Russian troops almost managed to capture one of the most protected tanks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, according to journalists, Ukrainian drone pilots intervened in the situation.
The Strv 122, the Swedish version of the German Leopard 2A5, is considered one of Ukraine’s most protected tanks. And the Russians are trying to get such trophies. At least to show off for propaganda purposes. Forbes writes about this.
Important
Russian troops almost managed to capture one of these tanks, but Ukrainian drone pilots intervened.
Sweden transferred to Ukraine 10 four-seat Strv 122s weighing 69 tonnes, with dense turret armor and 120 mm smoothbore guns. All 10 tanks are in the 21st Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which guards the forest area in the Kremennaya region.
According to journalists, during a year of intense fighting, Strv 122 tanks were mostly damaged by mines, FPV drones and anti-tank missiles. Ukrainian Armed Forces lost at least one Strv 122.
Six more Strv 122s were damaged, according to Oryx, and the 21st Brigade temporarily abandoned five damaged tanks on the roads and fields around Kremennaya.
It is standard practice for Ukrainian engineers to rebuild damaged tanks and send them to Lithuania for (very slow) repairs. The simplest way for the Russians to capture the Strv 122 tank is to immobilize it and withdraw it before the Ukrainian Armed Forces have time to do so.
Recently the RF Armed Forces had such an opportunity. On March 10, a Russian FPV drone shot down Strv 122, one kilometer east of the 21st Brigade’s main garrison in Terny. The Strv 122 crew evacuated, leaving the damaged tank behind.
Russian engineers were the first to achieve this. A pair of ARV rescue vehicles began dragging Strv 122 towards Russian positions.
They walked half the way until they were spotted by soldiers of the 3rd Special Brigade fighting in the Avdeevka area. 3. Attack drones attacked the main ARV first, circling the 45-ton vehicle until one hit the rear diesel engine.
As a result, two FPVs hit the engine area, the third hit the engine compartment of the rear ARV. The fourth passed over already stopped armored vehicles and inspected the damage.
The Russians were unable to make much progress in the cup, perhaps finding themselves in the middle of the no-man’s land separating Ukrainian and Russian forces east of Ternov.
Perhaps the 21st Brigade will try to save Strv 122. Ultimately, the drones attacked the ARVs towing the Strv 122, but made an effort to avoid hitting the tank itself.
The failure of the Russian attempt to capture the tank shows how dangerous the situation is. Journalists claim that the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost an ARV while trying to recover the immobilized Strv 122 in December.
Let us remind you that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have changed tactics for new batches of bullets. The Russian Federation may lose up to 100 thousand soldiers per year.
It was also reported that, according to ISW estimates, Russian troops were advancing towards the Pervomaiskaya dam and announced the capture of Orlovka.
Source: Focus
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