Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published a video showing a UR-77 Meteorit demining system using its explosive charge to destroy enemy positions rather than minefields. The rare system was deployed on the battlefield by servicemen of the 48th Engineering Brigade
In ordinary cases, these vehicles are operated by engineering forces. The rocket fired from the UR-77 launcher is far from being precise, its only purpose is to drag a flexible explosive cable over the designated mine-polluted location and breach an opening.
Read more: What Kind of Engineering Force has russia, That Managed to Create Powerful Fortifications in Ukraine
The cable carries 700 kg of explosives and extends up to 90 meters in length, the breached mine-free passage is 6 meters. The "firing range" of the system is 200 meters with a single rocket or up to 500 meters with a double-rocket — this is the maximum distance at which the charge can deploy.
Earlier, the same way of utilizing the UR-77 Meteorit was seen employed by russian invasion forces. They deployed the system to brute-force through a stronghold occupied by Ukrainian manpower, especially buildings. The footage available in open sources indicates that such systems were used mostly in relatively safe areas where they cannot be ambushed, like in Mariupol in 2022 when the Ukrainian defenders were encircled.
The system's armor can only protect from small arms fire, the mobility is on par with combat vehicles because in the russian army, apart from engineering battalions, some mechanized divisions have a limited number of those systems, too.
Since the beginning of the russian full-scale invasion, Ukrainian forces have seized a total of 18 UR-77 systems from russians in battle, according to Oryx OSINT community.
Read more: Rare Footage of Ukrainian Forces Clearing the Way with a Captured UR-77 Vehicle (Video)
