Russian military destroys Ukrainian T-72 (VIDEO)
The tank was discovered by Russian aerial reconnaissance systems. The video shows the lone T-72 moving down a dirt road through the fields. The first part of the clip, recorded by a First Person View (FPV) kamikaze drone's camera, demonstrates that Russian UAV zeroing in on its target before striking it in the rear.
The video then shows the tank engulfed in flames. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, drone operators first rendered it inoperable with the initial strike before destroying it with a second one.
The T-72 is a Soviet main battle tank that first entered production in 1973.
The armor piece has been used by some 40 nations around the globe. The tanks have been used by both Russia and Ukraine throughout the ongoing conflict.
The Russian military regularly publishes photos and videos of successful strikes on Ukrainian military equipment pieces, including those supplied to Kiev by its Western backers.
Last week, Russia's Rosgvardiya (National Guard) published a short clip showing a drone destroying a Swedish-made infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) in Sumy Region.Stockholm handed over its entire stock of Pbv 302 IFVs to Kiev last year. Developed in the 1960s, the Pbv 302 was in service with the Swedish military until 2014.
The developments come as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow's troops would observe a three-day ceasefire starting on May 8 to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in World War II. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky called the proposed olive branch 'manipulation' and has called for an immediate 30-day ceasefire.
Moscow has previously accused Kiev of violating both the 30-day 'energy truce' brokered by the US last month and the 30-hour Easter truce, despite having promised to respect both arrangements.
Putin stated earlier that a comprehensive ceasefire would hold only if Kiev stops its mobilization campaign and its Western backers stopped sending it weapons and ammunition.
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