Russian T-90M Battle Tank Destroyed in Kharkiv Oblast
Ukraine’s defense ministry released video on May 10 showing the destruction of one of Russia’s most advanced tanks, the T-90M “Breakthrough”, outside Staryi Saltiv, a town in Kharkiv Oblast close to the Russian border.
The ministry said members of the Kharkiv Territorial Defense targeted the tank with a Swedish hand-held Carl Gustaf anti-tank grenade launcher.
“We thank the Swedish people and the King for their help,” the ministry wrote on Twitter.
Storyful could not independently confirm what weapon was used against the tank, which was described by Ukraine’s defense ministry as “the pride of the Russian tank industry.”
This footage posted by Kharkiv resident Maria Avdeeva on May 10 provides an up-close view of the tank destroyed near Staryi Saltiv.
The ministry did not say when the strike took place. However, reporting indicates that it happened between May 5 and May 8.
The first evidence of T-90Ms being deployed in Ukraine appeared on April 25 in a video published by Rosgvardiya (National Guard of Russia).
The tank in this video was the second of two T-90Ms confirmed to have been destroyed in Ukraine. The first was documented on May 4 and confirmed by Ukraine’s defense ministry on May 5. Ukrainian officials said that tank was the first T-90M destroyed in Ukraine and was struck by a US-made Javelin anti-tank missile.
In a Wall Street Journal article about Ukraine’s Territorial Defense forces published on May 9, Col. Roman Hryshchenko, the commander of the Kharkiv-based 127th Territorial Defense Brigade, was cited as saying the brigade had “in recent days destroyed an ultramodern T-90 Russian tank northeast of Kharkiv using a Swedish-supplied Carl-Gustaf recoilless rifle.”
On May 7, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said at least one T-90M had been destroyed in Ukraine.
“The T-90M was introduced in 2016 and includes improved armor, an upgraded gun and enhanced satellite navigation systems. Approximately 100 T-90M tanks are currently in service amongst Russia’s best equipped units, including those fighting in Ukraine,” the UK ministry said. “It will take considerable time and expense for Russia to reconstitute its armed forces following this conflict,” they added. Credit: Maria Avdeeva via Storyful
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