Ukrainian armored personnel carrier dismantles “best tank in the world”. Now the crew explains why ports and terminals around the world are hot takeover targets

According to analyst counts, Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 with almost 3,000 tanks (2,987). Forbes reports that 2,619 of these were destroyed, abandoned or captured. The calculation is simple: without supplies, the invaders are left with 368 tanks. Forbes therefore speculates that Russia will soon run out of tanks.

But the calculation is wrong. Because Russia repairs old combat vehicles – and produces new ones. It is unclear how many there are. According to the Russian news agency, 1,500 new tanks were sent to Ukraine in 2023. The French secret service comes up with lower figures: Russia can produce about 390 tanks per year, according to a report. But it’s not just the number of vehicles that counts. The quality of the crew is also important. A clear example of this was recently provided by a battle that a Ukrainian surveillance drone recorded a few days ago north of Avdiivka. There, two Ukrainian Bradley infantry fighting vehicles encountered a Russian T-90M.

Vladimir Putin recently praised the T-90M as “undoubtedly the most powerful tank in the world” – and on paper its armor cannot be broken by a Bradley rifle. But the traditional case shows: different rules apply in the field.

After continuous bombardment (with astonishing accuracy), the T-90M experiences several explosions. As a result, the Russian crew loses control of the vehicle, the turret begins to rotate and the tank hits a tree. After an additional drone attack, the Russian soldiers escape from their completely destroyed vehicle. They are now the laughing stock of the Russian Telegram channels. On the other hand, Ukraine celebrates the courageous Bradley crew.

“I have only been back from training in Germany since December,” the commander and gunner, whose only name is known as “Serhiy,” said as he commented on the scene. He previously served in the infantry. The memorable encounter with the T-90 was only his second mission with his driver Oleksandr: “During the training I thought: hopefully I will never have to deal with such a tank again. Now it has come to this. And at this short distance.”

“We fired as much as we could,” Serhiy told Ukrainian broadcaster TCH, “but then we had problems with the armor-piercing ammunition – and we switched to explosive bullets.” This ammunition is not suitable for use against armored vehicles. It is unclear why the T-90 exploded in the first place. Serhiy has his own explanation for this: “I remembered what it was like then in the video games, where and how to meet him.”

However, the final hit on the T-90M came from a kamikaze drone. After the violent explosion, two Russian crew members leave the wreckage of the tank and take cover.

Serhiy and Oleksander and the second Bradley were sent to protect the soldiers in the trenches. Meanwhile, nothing is known about the fate of the other Ukrainian vehicle. Analysts assume that hits from this Bradley destroyed the optics of the T-90, so that Serhiy and Oleksandr encountered a “blind” tank.