Helmet camera video released by Ukrainian troops conducting a hit and run attack with rockets and machine guns shows a failed rocket attack and the splattering of a humvee windshield after direct fire or shrapnel impacts with the front of the armored vehicle.

For the purpose of the title and description of this video we are calling the troops Ukrainian. There is however a chance that these could be Belarusian volunteers with one of the international legion units. Regardless of troop nationality however, for the purpose of this video and this write-up the troops in question are representing Ukraine on the battlefield and will be labeled as such. It's unclear where and when this footage was filmed exactly.

The operation here appears to be a harassing operation to distract the Russian positions and draw fire. While it would be easy to state that the rocket was a waste of ammunition based on how high it went over the target, the objective was probably not to destroy the Russians, merely to distract them long enough for conditions to be set elsewhere in the Russian's sector of fire. A direct hit would have been a happy accident, unfortunately it wasn't in the cards for this operation.

If you pay close attention to the left side of the humvee glass, you'll notice at the beginning of the video that it is pristine. At some point during the troop's exit and re-entry from the vehicle, the glass either stopped a round or fragmentation from entering into and bouncing around the inside of the vehicle.

UPDATE 20230303: I've updated the quality of this video to an HD-ish version.

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