A Russian armored vehicle covered in protective plating was blown up by a drone after its commander forgot to close the hatch.
The embarrassing failure was caught on camera and shared by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, as footage showed the metal ‘turtle tank’ rolling across a muddy battlefield in Ukraine before being destroyed.
The Russian fighting vehicle, covered in protective sheet steel in an attempt to prevent Ukrainian drones from causing damage to the tank, could be seen staggering along the path, unaware of the destruction that would strike moments later.
As the rusty-looking vehicle zoomed through the area, the clip cuts to the drone’s perspective and shows the device entering the tank after getting past the outer sheet metal shell and slipping into the open hatch.
The ‘iron shed’ then bursts into flames, sending an orange glow into the sky in a humiliating blunder by the Russian commander.
Russia’s ‘iron shed’ tank could be seen driving through a Ukrainian battlefield before being fatally hit by a drone
The Ukrainian drone targeted the metal-plated tank and managed to penetrate an open hatch before the vehicle exploded
The ‘turtle tank’ was hit by the drone and quickly caught fire
The tank explodes in a fireball after the drone slides in
Glowing sparks flew as the fire continued to tear through the metal vehicle, leaving the tank a charred pile of ruins after the drone’s impact.
The improvised plated tank cover only covers the sides and top of the vehicle, apparently allowing operators to fire grenades from the tank.
These Russian makeshift tank covers have recently started popping up all over Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin’s dwindling forces desperately reach for methods that will protect them from powerful Ukrainian drone attacks.
In April, a video leaked to Telegram channels showed three Russian tanks with metal covers plodding through a battlefield near the Ukrainian-occupied city of Krasnohorivka while coming under fire.
Although the covers do not appear to affect the tank’s movement, their efficiency is unknown as they appear to largely reduce the tanks’ visibility.
Russian tanks have taken a huge hit from Ukrainian drones after a NATO official told foreign police last month that more than two-thirds of targeted Russian tanks were destroyed by drones.
Many are made cheaply with off-the-shelf components that often include improvised ammunition, including grenades or homemade bombs.
Experts believe that the tanks in the ‘iron shed’ were probably modified to give them protection against Ukrainian drone attacks, which are becoming increasingly prominent due to Ukraine’s lack of conventional artillery shells.
One video leaked to Telegram channels shows Russian tanks underneath blocky, turtle-like metal shells that appear to have been retroactively mounted on the outside
Another video shows three Russian tanks with tarpaulins plodding through a battlefield near the Ukrainian-occupied city of Krasnohorivka as they come under fire
AFV Recognition, an authoritative social media account that tracks Russian armor, wrote last month: ‘It has coverage in the rear, leaving only the front open for drone attacks, which in my opinion would be quite difficult to attack an FPV – to assess the drone when it is in motion.
“These are easy to point out and laugh at, but if it can cross open ground while being impervious to drones and then open a gap in a line that can be exploited, it has served its purpose.”
The shot armor could also serve to “reduce AI recognition of drones,” the account added in an Instagram post.
Due to scarce resources, Ukraine has apparently created an AI-powered drone that can track Russian targets from further away and be more resilient to electronic countermeasures as it attempts to boost its military capabilities as the war rages on.
Deputy Defense Minister Kateryna Chernohorenko said Kiev is developing a new system that can autonomously distinguish, hunt and attack its targets from a distance.
This would make it harder to shoot down or jam the drones, she said, and would reduce the threat of retaliatory attacks to drone pilots.
‘Our drones must become more effective and be guided to the target without operators.
‘It has to be based on visual navigation. We also call it ‘last-mile targeting’, she told The Telegraph.
Initially, military experts described the makeshift tank covers as an example of Russia’s unpreparedness for war, but it is now widely recognized that makeshift defenses are necessary due to the continued development of drone warfare.