The Ukrainian tank then fires another shot from its 125mm smooth-bore main gun, which destroys a Russian BTR-82A in the middle of the column. This effectively slows down the retreating column, which the Ukrainian tank takes advantage of by firing more shots. Note that the Ukrainians took advantage of the fact that they were perpendicular to the road, to take advantage of the weaker side armor on tanks anf fighting vehicles. The Russians seemed disoriented and unsure of the direction of the attack and kept firing machinegun tracer rounds to an unknown location that was far from the Ukrainian tank. You can see armored infantry still running up the road instead of fanning out to protect their own flanks.
#Ukraine: Another Russian BTR-82A destroyed during fighting in Nova Basan, which UA forces retook. pic.twitter.com/5zHIWSj5WE
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) March 31, 2022
At this point, Russian vehicles in the rear stopped and deployed their troops to look for the tank that was blasting them. They now spotted the Ukrainian T-64BV and their vehicles as the Ukrainians knocked down the wall of their hiding spot due to the pressure from the tank firing another round. Being spotted, the gunners engaged the tank and were on target, but not exactly accurate as the rounds flew by the tank. Keep in mind that the Ukrainian tank has its hull facing the Russian column, thereby putting its most armored portion in the line of attack.
Furthermore, the troops who had spotted the Ukrainian T-64BV fired what seemed to be an anti-tank missile but was ultimately unsuccessful as it hit the house the Ukrainians were using as cover. While this was happening, two Russian vehicles continued to drive past the destroyed BTR-82A. By the end of the firefight, two Russian armored vehicles were engulfed in flames.
While not seen in the footage, it is also entirely possible that other Ukrainian tanks were within the area and were also firing at the column; however, none was seen in the video. It is also unknown whether the Ukrainian T-64 tank survived the return fire upon being discovered.
The video reveals some insight into the Russian forces’ organization and how they secure the area. It shows that they do not provide some form of air surveillance support during their operations, as seen with a Ukrainian drone being able to record the battle. Furthermore, if they had such support, it could have been the case that armed drones could have fired on the tank or at least informed their ground troops that there was an enemy tank in their path. It also reveals that they clearly do not have air superiority in the region.
This video gives the public an insight into the fighting spirit of the Ukrainians. As seen in the video, it was heavily outnumbered but did not hesitate to fight on. They also have good combat knowledge as they were able to find a secure hiding spot relatively near to the Russians and take advantage of their vantage point without getting spotted immediately.
On the other hand, losing tank battles have been a recurring story for the Russians as a team of elite Ukrainian drone units destroyed massive portions of the 40-mile Russian convoy supposedly headed to Kyiv. The Russians’ supposed “elite” 4th Guards Tank Division suffered their defeat and demise at the hands of Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade. Even without Ukrainian tanks, they have been using several of their western-supplied anti-tank munitions such as the Javelins, NLAWs, and their Stugna-Ps to good use, as well as their set of Bayraktar TB2 drones which have wreaked havoc on the Russian forces.
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