Heavy losses for Russia as Ukrainian forces repel attacks in Donetsk
Very heavy fighting continues in the city of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) reports that the Russians are conducting several assaults a day. However, one of the recent attacks failed them; they lost dozens of soldiers and almost an entire column of equipment.
A short report depicting the actions of the Ukrainian special unit Kraken appeared on social media. From it, we learn that the list of Russian weapon losses in this case includes BMD infantry fighting vehicles, BMD-4M airborne combat vehicles, and T-72B3 and T-90M tanks, which are among the best tanks Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine have. This is mainly because these machines have advanced optronics based on good thermal cameras.
Attack on a Russian equipment column
"A new day, another assault. The defenders of Chasiv Yar leave the occupiers with no chance," wrote the Ukrainian fighters in their report.
The defensive action was well-coordinated in this case. Drones and artillery were involved, which effectively halted and destroyed the Russian equipment.
Valuable Russian tanks. What do they have?
Each loss of a T-90M tank is painful for the Russians for several reasons. This machine is estimated to be worth around $6 million CAD. In one of his speeches, Vladimir Putin called the T-90M "the best tank in the world." And although the war in Ukraine has verified its capabilities and highlighted its flaws, it remains the best tank that the Russians currently use to attack Ukrainian forces.
It is equipped with a 125 mm 2A46M-5 cannon, a Kalina fire control system, two machine guns (7.62 mm and 12.7 mm), and a structure reinforced with Relikt modular reactive armour. An engine with 1,000 horsepower allows the T-90M to reach up to approximately 64 km/h (40 mph).
The T-72B3 tanks are based on the T-72B and are also among the newer ones in the Russian army, having entered service only in 2013. They have a Sosna-U fire control system based on Catherine-FC thermal cameras and an autoloader adapted for more diverse anti-tank ammunition, including Świeniec family missiles with a longer penetrator. The reactive armour is also used in the T-72B3 tanks.
