For the first time ever, a Western Challenger-2 tank may have been destroyed in Ukraine

Mia Jankowicz
·3 min read
656
Side-by-side screenshots from video on social media show the burning remains of a tank.
Side-by-side screenshots from video on social media uploaded September 4 showing what seems to be the burning remains of a Challenger-2 tank in Ukraine.@UAweapons/X

  • A video circulating Tuesday appeared to show a destroyed Challenger-2 tank in Ukraine.

  • If confirmed, it would be the first time the tank has been destroyed and a symbolic win for Russia.

  • The elite 82nd Air Assault Brigade was supplied with 14 of the tanks and is operating in the South.

Footage appears to show a destroyed Challenger-2 tank in Ukraine, left burning in a field as part of the counteroffensive against Russia.

The Challenger-2 is a British tank, and the 14 Ukraine received in a recent aid package are among its strongest Western-donated weapons.

The apparent destruction β€” seized upon quickly by jubilant Russians when it began to spread on Tuesday β€” would be the first time a Challenger-2 has been destroyed on the battlefield.

In the video, shot from a moving car, the wreck of a ruined armored vehicle could be seen engulfed in dark smoke on the roadside.

The open-source tracking project Ukraine Weapons Tracker identified the remains as a Challenger-2 in a post that was re-shared by Oryx, another such project.

The loss has not been officially confirmed, and representatives for Ukraine's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

A Western defense source told Insider that the Challenger-2 in the video was destroyed, and that the soldiers inside survived the attack.

Two further vehicles β€” identified as a Soviet-era T-64BV tank and two infantry mobility vehicles by Ukraine Weapons Tracker β€” could also be seen to be damaged or destroyed in the footage.

The footage was identified as being taken near the town of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia, which Ukrainian forces have recently recaptured.

The unit fighting there β€” the 82nd Air Assault Brigade β€” was supplied with a wealth of armor, including all 14 donated Challenger-2 tanks, according to leaked documents seen by Politico. The elite force was deployed in the counteroffensive in August and quickly made its impact felt.

Nonetheless, the apparent tank loss would be a symbolic hit for Russia, given the Challenger-2's status as an undefeated platform. The UK-made tank has been used in Bosnia, Iraq, and Kosovo but has never been destroyed in battle.

"This tank is like a sniper rifle among tanks," a Ukrainian soldier proudly said in a recent Ukrainian Ministry of Defense video showcasing the vehicle. Ukrainian forces completed their training on the tank in the UK in March.

That said, it has also never faced an adversary as strong as Russia.

Following several losses early in the counteroffensive, Ukraine has largely been holding its heavy armor in reserve and is opting to painstakingly move through Russia's defenses on foot, supported by artillery fire.

Russian media has widely celebrated the apparent loss. A wealth of chatter on pro-Russian social-media platforms was followed by a top television propagandist, Vladimir Solovyov, saying: "The Challenger 2 tank hasn't passed the challenge of the Russian Armed Forces," per the translation of BBC Monitoring's Francis Scarr.

Read the original article on Business Insider