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Russian T-80BV Wrecked in Kursk
Published 1 month ago
Ukrainian drone footage showing a damaged Russian T-80BV main battle tank abandoned by a lone crewman. The tank smolders and a farmer’s field as a crewman clambers out of the vehicle and disappears into the wheat. The T-80BV is a variant of the Soviet-era T-80 with substantial armor upgrades. The T-80 utilizes a gas turbine engine which gives it greater speed but shorter range than diesel-driven tanks. As many as 5,500 were built, many of which remained in storage until Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia’s supply of modern tanks is running short and their production has failed to keep pace with battlefield losses. It is unclear whether the commitment of more capable T-80 tanks in Kursk is an indicator that more capable and well-equipped units have been sent to Kursk. In the pre-war Russian army, as in the Soviet era, certain equipment types were assigned to specific units, and the training and capabilities of a unit could be ascertained by the vehicles it fielded. After two years of brutal attrition, the distribution of kit appears rather haphazard, so it is unclear whether the presence of this tank is an indicator of higher-caliber unit arrived to push the Ukrainians out of Kursk.