Captivating combat footage: Tank soldier fights intense fire while moving

The widespread use of commercial drones on the battlefields of Ukraine has led to the dissemination of a significant amount of remarkable combat footage from the war, reaching audiences around the world.

Scenes of head-to-head battles between vehicles and drones targeting enemy weapons have filled news headlines, but few videos are as strange as one released in July 2024.  

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

Strange likely isn’t the right word for the video in question since it showed how one tank soldier did the unthinkable so that he could save his vehicle and other crew members. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

On July 11th, journalist Yuriy Butusov shared the remarkable story of a tank commander in the 214th Separate Special Battalion OPFOR tank company who put out a fire on his tank while it was in the midst of combat operations in the field. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

"There was a fire both outside and inside,” Butusov explained on his Telegram channel when he shared the footage according to a translation from The New Voice of Ukraine. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

“The warrior didn’t hesitate for a second, grabbed fire extinguishers, climbed onto the armor, and managed to put out the flames while on the move, saving the crew's lives and health,” Butusov added. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

In the combat footage, the tank commander can be seen on the top of his tank while it rolls through an open field while on fire. The one-minute-and-four-second mostly shows the tank commander's efforts to douse the fire as the tank continues through the field. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

The tank commander is eventually successful in stemming the flame and the vehicle eventually is seen driving off before driving an operational tank back to the Ukrainian position in the area according to Butusov.

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

Butusov noted in his story that the tank was on a mission to clear an area when it was attacked by a Russian kamikaze drone. The video footage shows the drone impact that caused the fire. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus

The New Voice of Ukraine wrote that the tank commander “demonstrated extraordinary bravery on the battlefield” and the video posted by Butusov was edited together with an interview from the commander Віталій (Vitaliy) talking about his experience. 

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Photo Credit: Telegram @ButusovPlus