Minefield chaos: Russian tank column decimated in Ukraine
Minefields play a significant role in the war in Ukraine—mines inflict severe losses on both sides of the conflict, sometimes ultimately preventing an effective offensive. A column of Russian military vehicles had horrible luck in this regard.
The fate of the Russian unit is documented in a recording shared online by the Russians themselves. As indicated by the Ukrainian portal Militarny, the author of the video is likely a Russian commander with the call sign "Chelyabinsk," who was remotely coordinating the tank unit's actions.
The video shows Russian tanks advancing, having to navigate a minefield on their way to Ukrainian positions. After the first mine detonation, "Chelyabinsk" received information about the damage to one of the vehicles and an injured soldier. Still, he ordered the unit to continue driving through the minefield.
The attack command is later repeated when a second mine destroys another tank in the unit. The result is a massive explosion caused by the mine striking another tank, which this time results in an ammunition explosion and the destruction of the vehicle.
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According to the Militarny portal, such an effective defeat of the Russian unit could be due to the Ukrainians using drones capable of carrying TM-62M anti-tank mines. This allows for remotely creating mine barriers away from their positions.
TM-62M Anti-Tank Mine
The TM-62M mine was developed in the Soviet Union as a pressure-activated anti-tank mine. It is 33 centimetres in diameter, 13 centimetres in height, and 10 kilograms in weight, with 3 kilograms attributed to the TNT charge.
Unlike modern side-attack mines, which can attack distant vehicles, the TM-62M requires either direct pressure (the fuse activates under at least 150 kilograms) or the presence of a large, metallic object nearby to detonate.
The TM-62M also has safety mechanisms to prevent removal, utilizing a gyroscope and accelerometer—attempting to move or lift an armed mine results in its detonation.
