The Russian marine corps handed Ukrainian forces north of the ruins of Pokrovsk an early Christmas present: an entire battalion of new BTR wheeled fighting vehicles and T-80 turtle and container tanks.
Units subordinate to the Ukrainian 1st Azov Corps, including the 4th National Guard Brigade, the 1st Assault Regiment and the Lazar drone group—the latter founded by a T.V. producer—spotted the four separate Russian columns from miles away despite the winter fog on Dec. 22.
More and more Ukrainian first-person-view and bomber drones have thermal cameras, which can detect a person or vehicle’s heat signature through the haze.
Lazar reported 24 attacking vehicles, but it’s evident from the post-battle imagery that many more were involved, including at least two container tanks from the Russian 40th Naval Infantry Brigade. The 40th NIB has begun welding shipping containers atop T-80 tanks as an anti-drone expedient.
Surveying the battlefield in the days after the attack, analyst Moklasen counted at least nine wrecked BTR-80/82s as well as nine destroyed tanks, three knocked-out MT-LB armored tractors and two unidentified wrecked vehicles.
