Footage has appeared in open access, showing that russian occupiers used one or several rare BTR-90 armored vehicles for the formation of assault groups that have been advancing in the East of Ukraine in recent days.
The fact that the russians decided to use such rare armored vehicles in battles against the Ukrainian Armed Forces seems very strange.
Read more: Ukraine's Special Operations Forces Thwarted the russians' Plans in Avdiivka, Destroying Equipment and Killing Dozens of Invaders
The BTR-90 is a wheeled armored personnel carrier developed in russia, and first shown publicly in 1994. This armored vehicle was adopted by the russian Armed Forces by Order of the Minister of Defense of the russian federation of June 9, 2008.
The BTR-90 has a standard internal arrangement of the Soviet-era BTR-80 family. It has an engine compartment located in the hull rear. Compared to similar russian-made vehicles, the BTR-90 stood out due to its relatively high weight – 22 tons, and significantly improved anti-mine protection.
- Crew. Three: commander, gunner, and driver, plus seven fully equipped infantrymen.
- Configuration. 8x8
- Armor. Steel-alloy armor provides protection against 14.5mm armor-piercing projectiles over the frontal arc. The armor protects against 7.62mm AP projectiles and ballistic fragments over the rest of the vehicle.
Also, it's armed with quite powerful weaponry, including a 30mm automatic cannon 2A42, a 7.62mm machine gun, AGS-17, and the Konkurs-M anti-tank guided missile system.
In 2011, the russian Ministry of Defense announced that it was rejecting the BTR-90 for broad adoption by the russian Armed Forces. This decision effectively marked the end of the BTR-90 program.
From the information available in the public domain, we can learn that several units of BTR-90 armored personnel carriers may have been 'left' at one of the russian army's storage bases.
Defense Express reported earlier that Rare russian BTR-MDM Rakushka Vehicle Torn Apart on a Landmine in Ukraine
Read more: The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine: Everything in russia Is Prepared for a Large-Scale Mobilization, but They Are Unable to Declare it
