Decisive Victory: two Ukrainian tanks destroyed a Russian APC threat

In October 2024, combat footage published on social media showed two Ukrainian T-64 tanks destroying a Russian BTR-82A armored personnel carrier as the vehicle approached the Ukrainian tanks.

The bizarre incident was published on Telegram by the Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov along with a few key details about the battlefield encounter. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

The two Ukrainian T-64 tanks were from the 17th Separate Tank Brigade. Butusov reported that they conducting offensive operations in the Russian region of Kursk when an enemy BTR-82A approached them in a field along a tree line.  

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

“This skirmish is part of the ongoing Ukrainian incursion of Kursk, now in its 10th week, with Russian forces launching counterattacks along the western edge of the Ukrainian-held salient,” Butusov said at the time according to Euromaidan Press. 

“The fluidity of the front has led to chaotic situations where Russian and Ukrainian troops find themselves intermingled,” Butusov added. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

In the footage released, a reconnaissance drone recorded the BTR-82A driving in a field before zooming out to reveal that the vehicle was moving toward two Ukrainian tanks. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

The lead T-64 fired off a shot at the approaching Russian armored personnel carrier and it found its mark according to a report from the Ukrainian news website Militarnyi. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

“After the first shot, the Russian armored personnel carrier stopped, and the crew of the combat vehicle started to chaotically flee in different directions,” Militarnyi reported. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

Whether the BTR-82A stopped of its own accord or was disabled by the hit is not clear from the footage. Whatever the case, the stationary vehicle was targeted and hit again. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

The combat footage shows the second Ukrainian T-64 tank turned its gun turret and fired a control shot at the BTR-82A. This hit caused a fire and destroyed the Russian vehicle. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

Throughout the incident, the troops being ferried by the BTR-82A could be seen fleeing the encounter, something Militarnyi noted happens all too often on the war’s frontlines. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

“It is not uncommon for Russian troops to leave their own positions in disorientation and move toward the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” Militarnyi reported. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

“In addition, the Russians also demonstrate a lack of coordination in the rear, where engineering units do not report the formation of defense lines and the installation of anti-tank structures,” Militarnyi added. 

Forbes’ David Axe also covered the incident and noted that the tanks in the video were likely T-64 or T-72 models and added that the “motive behind the Russian vehicle’s approach remains unclear.”

Speculation has ranged about why the Russian BTR-82A got so close to the Ukrainian tanks, some reports believe the Russian vehicle misidentified the tanks as their own while other sources claim the BTR-82A may have thought the tanks were immobilized. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus

Euromaidan Press noted that retired US Army general Mark Hertling said the encounter was the “closest tank engagement I’ve ever seen” as he highlighted the unusual nature of the bizarre incident. 

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Photo Credit: Screenshot Telegram @ButusovPlus