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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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New footage appears to show the moment a modified Russian tank hits several land mines in Ukraine, at a time when Moscow is trying to defend its armored vehicles against battlefield strikes.
The Russian "turtle tank" was "blown up by a few landmines at once," Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, attributing the brief clip to the military's Shadow Unit, which specializes in the use of drones and artillery. A vehicle with a metal shell can be seen making its way through a field before an explosion erupts around it. One person can be seen running away from the tank following the blast.
Kyiv gave no indication of when and where the footage was filmed, and it is not possible to independently verify the clip. Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian military and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.
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Footage circulated online in recent weeks indicates that Russia is using fixed, shell-like metal structures around its tanks in an effort to protect the vehicles from Ukrainian first-person-view kamikaze drone strikes along the front lines. The vehicles with the protective cage have been dubbed "turtle tanks," which has drawn ridicule from open-source intelligence accounts.
Russia has long attached improvised armor to its tank fleet in an attempt to shield the vehicles from Ukrainian strikes. Roof screens have also appeared on Russian rocket launchers.
Turtle tanks have made an appearance on multiple fronts in Ukraine, including in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have launched a fresh offensive, small-arms expert Matthew Moss told Newsweek earlier this month.
Whether the turtle tanks will become more popular and uniform "really depends on how well they continue to perform and if the Ukrainians begin to adapt and find ways to effectively engage them," he said.
Footage posted by Ukrainian sources in the past few weeks is said to show damaged Russian tanks and the remains of metal protective casings on the battlefield.
Earlier this month, Ukraine's 79th Separate Air Assault Brigade, which operates in eastern Ukraine, published a brief video it said showed a Russian armored column launching an assault on Ukrainian positions close to the Donetsk village of Novomykhailivka. In the clip, at least one Russian tank covered by a metal cage is visible.
"Even the protective metal plating on the tanks did not help against the targeted fire," the 79th Brigade said in a post to social media.
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