The Russian military has released a new video showcasing the destruction of a military vehicle at the front
The Russian Defense Ministry has released a new video reportedly showing the destruction of a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier (APC) by a bomber drone.
The thermal video, reportedly taken by the bomber drone itself, was captured at the Vremevka Ledge, a string of villages in the west of Donetsk People’s Republic. The area saw active combat during the ultimately disastrous Ukrainian counteroffensive last year. In recent weeks, it has seen a new uptick in fighting, with the Russian military advancing at multiple locations.
The video shows the Ukrainian armored personnel carrier, apparently an old Vietnam War-era US-made M113 or a similar vehicle, poorly concealed in shrubbery. It had apparently sustained a hit offscreen, likely by an FPV kamikaze drone, before the bomber UAV finished it off. The APC is missing its engine cover, its anti-drone netting is torn, and its supports are visibly bent.
The bomber drops what appears to be a hand grenade right into the half-open top hatch of the APC, prompting the troops inside to attempt to evacuate.
The munition, however, goes off, causing a massive blast and fire inside the APC, likely triggering extra ammo kept inside. The footage ends with a flyover of the destroyed vehicle, with the corpses of its occupants visible from the opened rear ramp.
Bomber drones have been actively used by both sides of the conflict, with such UAVs deployed to strike stationary or abandoned vehicles, fixed positions, groups of soldiers, and so on. The bomber drones commonly carry a handful of small munitions, such as hand grenades, modified ammo for automatic grenade launchers, or homemade explosive devices. Heavier models can carry mortar and land mines, engineering munitions and other heavier explosives.
