The largest tank battle of the war: the NYT tells how the Ukrainian Armed Forces defeated a Russian column near Vuhledar
Russian troops were defeated in the largest tank battle near Vuhledar in Donetsk region.
During the three weeks of confrontation, the enemy lost more than 100 units of armored vehicles, which was a serious blow to Russia. The New York Times writes about it.
According to the newspaper, the Russians tried to attack in columns, while the Ukrainians defended themselves by firing from afar or from shelters when enemy vehicles came into their field of vision.
After the battle, the fields near Vuhledar are littered with enemy armored vehicles that were hit by artillery or destroyed by anti-tank shells.
The Ukrainian military say that Russia lost at least 130 tanks and armored personnel carriers in this battle.
– “We studied the roads they were using, then hid and waited to shoot from ambush,” said one of the Ukrainian sergeants.
One of the reasons for the Russians’ failure was their lack of experience. The battles were fought by recently mobilized soldiers who were not prepared for the Ukrainian army’s tactics of ambushing convoys.
According to one of the Ukrainian soldiers, a medic was captured during the battle and put in charge of a tank.
Russian Telegram channels say that relatives of the killed Russian soldiers “want to kill the general who was responsible for the offensive near Vuhledar.”
Ukrainian Lieutenant Vladyslav Bayak, deputy commander of the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the 72nd Brigade, was one of the first to notice the approach of a Russian column of about 15 tanks and armored personnel carriers to the Ukrainian positions near Vuhledar.
– We were ready, we knew something like this would happen,” he told the NYT.
According to Bayak, Ukrainian soldiers with anti-tank missile systems and artillery were ready to open fire on enemy vehicles.
– The dirt road was free of mines, and the fields around it were sown with them to lure the Russians into an attack and prevent the tanks from turning around once the battle began. The convoy of tanks becomes most vulnerable after the shooting starts and the drivers panic and try to turn around, driving to the mined roadside. The hit cars get in the way, slowing or stopping the convoy,” the publication describes the course of the battle.
At this point, Ukrainian artillery opens fire, blowing up more armor and killing soldiers who climb out of the disabled vehicles. Chaos and explosions ensued, the lieutenant said.
Having fallen into a pre-prepared trap of Ukrainian fighters, the Russians completely failed their offensive and suffered significant losses.
