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​Ukrainian Troops Use Rare Homemade "Ovod" Armored Carrier in the Frontlines (Photo)

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The "Ovod" armored mobility vehicle / Open source illustrative photo
The "Ovod" armored mobility vehicle / Open source illustrative photo

The vehicle did not enter serial production due to inconvenience but still was found useful in combat against russian invaders

The photo recently published on the web reveals that Ukrainian troops are using a rare "Ovod" armored vehicle in actual battle. This model exists in only one copy as a prototype.

"Ovod" (russian for "Botfly") is a somewhat "legendary" vehicle because, among other things, it is essentially a modification of the GAZ-66, a 1960s’ Soviet all-road truck. The latter was modified into "Ovod" in 2015 by the engineers of the state Zhytomyr Armored Plant.

Read more: Ukraine’s Marines Describe Their Mastiff Armored Vehicle Experience

Theoretically, "Ovod" can take on board a landing squad of up to 12 people, with a crew of 2 people. There is an option to install a 12.7mm machine gun on the roof of the vehicle.

"Ovod" is made primarily for safe transportation in the rear, not for fighting in vanguard / Open source illustrative photo

But the "Ovod" did not enter serial production because this armored vehicle had a very inconvenient placement for the crew, which practically made the modification not suitable for combat use.

It takes quite an effort to get comfortable in the cab / Open source illustrative photo
It seems that the Ukrainian army brought back the only prototype of the "Ovod" because it needed to at least situationally "cover up" the quite heavy losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in terms of armored vehicles, caused by the fighting against russian occupiers.
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