Drone video released by a group of Ukrainians shows the destruction of a disabled and abandoned piece of Russian armor that was left with top hatch open.

The original source of this footage had the armor listed as an active piece of military equipment with Russians still inside of it, however it's clear from the footage that the armor has been disabled for quite some time. This drop was likely conducted to burn out the inside of the armor, making it so that the Russians weren't capable of recovering it and returning it to service after repairing the exterior damage.

A piece of armor isn't truly out of the fight until it can be listed as a catastrophic kill. When armor is abandoned by the crew, it's usually because the crew was in heavy contact when their vehicle became a mobility crew. That's most likely the case with this piece of armor. With this secondary drop the Ukrainians are ensuring critical damage to the inside of the vehicle which is full of sensitive instruments and components that make the armor a viable weapon system.

Once that critical damage occurs on the inside of the vehicle, even if recovered, it's unlikely to be returned to service because it becomes more economic to just part the pieces out.

About the Author

Josh Brooks

Josh is an American writer and former USMC machine gunner with eight years of experience in ground combat arms throughout the GWOT. He is currently based in Texas and specializes in combat footage analysis and digital marketing.Follow Josh at OfficialJoshBrooks.com