One of the most significant battles in recent weeks unfolded in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region recenlty.
A Crushing Defeat
Russian forces, deploying around 50 vehicles, launched an assault that ultimately ended in disaster. Despite their numbers, Russian troops suffered a crushing defeat, according to WP.
Footage from the failed Russian offensive was shared by Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of the Achilles battalion from Ukraine’s 92nd Independent Assault Brigade, which operates in the Kupiansk region.
The footage highlighted the key role that drones played in Ukraine’s defense. Ukrainian forces relied heavily on kamikaze drones and reusable drones dropping ammunition to strike Russian trucks, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles (BMPs), and armored personnel carriers (BTRs and MT-LBs).
Damaged Another 26
According to Fedorenko, Ukrainian forces completely destroyed 14 Russian vehicles and damaged another 26. Russian losses included all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), Ural and UAZ trucks, as well as heavier equipment like BMPs, BTRs, and tanks.
Analysts have pointed out that large-scale attacks like this one are becoming increasingly rare in the Ukraine war.
The battlefield has become more transparent, with significant anti-tank, artillery, and drone presence, making massed assaults risky. In this case, Russia relied on older, Soviet-era equipment, which proved no match for Ukraine’s modern defense strategies.
For example, the MT-LB, a 1960s-era amphibious armored carrier, and the BMP infantry fighting vehicles—some models over 40 years old—were among the vehicles destroyed. Even the more modern BMP-3, despite its 100 mm cannon and 30 mm automatic gun, was vulnerable due to its outdated armor protection.
