US-made Ukrainian armor destroyed in Kursk Region (VIDEO)
Russian troops have reportedly destroyed an American-made Stryker armored fighting vehicle in Kursk Region. A video showing a successful hit was published by Russian Telegram channel Troyka on Wednesday.
A 19-second clip was apparently recorded from another unmanned aerial vehicle that was apparently flying at a low altitude over a crop field. At one point, a Stryker vehicle is seen moving down a dirt road along the field and near a wooded area.
The armored vehicle goes up in flames after apparently being struck by a drone. According to the caption to the video, Russian marines targeted the vehicle with a Lancet-family kamikaze drone.
This family of drones, also referred to as loitering munitions, has become one of the key medium-range tools in the Russian arsenal, with Lancets repeatedly used to take out Ukrainian high-value assets, such as mobile and towed artillery, anti-aircraft, radar, and other systems.
Developed by ZALA Aero Group, which is part of Kalashnikov Group, the drone has several modifications, carrying a payload of up to three kilograms (over six pounds) with a maximum range of 50 kilometers (over 30 miles). The drones have also been successfully used against heavily armored targets such as Western-supplied tanks.
The Russian Defense Ministry did not mention the specific strike in its latest daily briefing on the situation in the border region. According to the ministry, Russian troops are continuing their counteroffensive in the region, which was invaded by Ukraine in early August.
Ukrainian forces lost over 450 servicemen, as well as two tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, including two US-made Bradleys and two M113 armored personnel carriers, 33 armored vehicles, and five artillery pieces over the previous 24-hour period, according to Russian military data.
Ukrainian forces made some initial progress in the early days of their operation in Kursk Region but were quickly contained. Russian troops have been gradually pushing the invading force away from the region ever since.
Over three months since the start of the incursion, the Russian military has managed to win back more than a dozen settlements near the border. The total number of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the operation has surpassed 32,000, according to the Russian Defense Ministry’s latest estimates.
