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The vehicle, built from a ramshackle, rusted T-62 tank, was
modified to have a boxy metal shell as its exterior, a cage at
its rear and electronic warfare devices attached to it, soldiers
told Reuters after it was captured this week.
They say it was used to shuttle around food, ammunition and
troops. Its canopy appeared aimed at protecting against drone
attacks, particularly cheaply produced FPV (First-Person-View)
drones, which are strapped with a munition and flown to their
target by a pilot watching on a screen.
"It was created to defend from FPV drones and (drone bomb)
drops. It's an empty taxi for personnel with electronic warfare
as its only defense," Serhiy Misiura, a lieutenant colonel, said
on an official Ukrainian army television station.
Nearly 28 months since Russia launched its full-scale invasion,
the use of drones by both sides has become ubiquitous on the
battlefield, making it difficult to advance or operate safely.
"They clearly didn't work hard on it. They hastily put it on and
sent the tank to the frontline," said Dmytro, a Ukrainian
soldier who spoke to Reuters about the vehicle in the Donetsk
region.
They said the vehicle was captured near Klishchiivka, a village
gripped by fighting for months on end near the Russian-occupied
city of Bakhmut.
Dmytro said getting in and out carrying equipment was difficult
through its tiny hatch. Visibility was very limited and the
stench inside was overwhelming.
Aerial drone footage shot by the Ukrainian military and
published on June 17 showed the tank being captured in a wooded
area along with a Russian crew. Kyiv's forces then planted a
Ukrainian flag on top of it.
(Additional reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Sharon
Singleton)
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