Ukrainian "Briz" television studio has published a report from the Kherson region, where Ukrainian military repair teams were working on the equipment russians abandoned on retreat.
The trophies include a fully operational T-72B and the T-80BVM that was hit with an anti-tank missile. However, the damage to the tank wasn’t critical, the mechanics say. One of them suggested that the russians just hadn’t managed to start the vehicle as they fled.
Read more: The List of Interesting And Rare Weapons That russia Lost In Kherson Oblast
Ukrainian repairmen found out that this T-80BVM was made in 2021 and has a mileage of less than 500 km. Some other vehicles that got damaged more than that, can be put to use, too – as donors of components, mechanic Maksym says:
"Even if the tank has been completely burnt out, we can still take a lot of useful things from it." As he spoke, an engine was taken out from a damaged russian tank to plant into another vehicle as a replacement. Such works can be carried out even in the field thanks to specialized equipment.
The Ukrainian serviceman pointed out the equipment used in the russian tanks of the latest modernization, such as the "Sosna-U" sight. Though there are mixed views on the ergonomics it provides for the gunner, it still provides a good 12x zoom, which adds to the 9K112 "Cobra" guided anti-tank missile on the T-80BVM.
"The sight has a better zoom and its own ballistic calculator that provides many adjustments to the fire, there is even a wind sensor in it," Maksym said.
But during combat, it is the proper training of the tank crew that matters most, he stressed. And as we already know, the russian tank force servicemen clearly lack knowledge of the complex equipment bestowed upon them, and that becomes one of the reasons why they leave such vehicles as advanced T-80BVM on the battlefield.
Read more: The russian Army to Receive New T-80BVMs, No Further T-72B3 Upgrade Expected
