TIG Post

Tag: Russian Ministry of Defence

  • Russia claims to have remotely detonated an explosives-filled tank

    Russia claims to have remotely detonated an explosives-filled tank

    In what appears to be a novel combat strategy, the Russian Ministry of Defence has claimed that a remotely controlled tank loaded with a significant amount of explosives demolished a Ukrainian stronghold.

    The ministry claimed that the tank was loaded with “about 3.5 tonnes of TNT and 5 FAB-100 bombs” in a post on its Telegram channel over the weekend. The typical payload of FAB-100 bombs weighs 100 kilogrammes (220 pounds).

    An attack setup and execution duty was given to a Russian tank commander with the signal “Bernaul,” according to a video posted by the ministry on Saturday.

    “About 300 meters (984 feet) away from the enemy, the tank operator put the vehicle on manual gas, directing it [to the enemy’s] direction. He jumped out and went to the rear. I stayed behind to observe, and after the vehicle approached the enemy’s positions, I detonated it by radio control,” the commander said.

    “The explosion was very serious, there were a lot of explosives … as a result, according to radio intercept data, the enemy suffered significant losses,” he added.

    Drone video shows the tank static after apparently hitting a mine close to Ukrainian lines. There is then a huge explosion, but it’s unclear why. A moment before the tank explodes, there appears to be a flash coming from Ukrainian positions, which may have been an attempt to destroy the tank.

    On Sunday, a prominent Russian war blogger, “Voennyi Osvedomitel,” shared a video from the pro-Russia “Romanov” channel of drone footage that shows the tank detonating. Osvedomitel said the tank hit a mine before reaching its target.

    “Sending an unmanned kamikaze tank filled with 6 tons of TNT to Ukrainian positions in Mariinka. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it, blown up by a mine,” he wrote.

    It’s not possible to geolocate the incident but the Mariinka area of Donetsk has seen heavy fighting since the Russian invasion began.

  • Russia “gains crucial intelligence after recovering the remains of a downed US drone

    Russia “gains crucial intelligence after recovering the remains of a downed US drone

    According to a recent story, Russia may have acquired some crucial intelligence after recovering the debris of a US drone that was shot down by a Russian plane from the Black Sea’s depths.

    A significant diplomatic problem occurred last month as a result of the destruction of the advanced US MQ-9 Reaper on March 14 when it was flying over occupied Crimea in international airspace.

    The drone’s “onboard electronic equipment” has allegedly been retrieved, and Russia claims to have “obtained invaluable information about the characteristics of a number of critical MQ-9 Reaper radio-electronic components.”

    The wreckage was estimated to have sunk to depths of up to 2,950ft before it was recovered by a Russian deep-sea salvage team.

    Mandatory Credit: Photo by US European Command/ZUMA Press Wire Service/Shutterstock (13830876a) The US military's European Command has released footage of the Tuesday encounter between a US surveillance drone and a Russian fighter jet as it played out over the Black Sea. The newly declassified video depicts critical moments in the mid-air encounter, which the Pentagon said lasted 30-40 minutes. The video shows the camera of the MQ-9 Reaper drone pointed backward toward its tail and the drone's propeller, which is mounted on the rear, spinning. Then, a Russian Sukhoi SU-27 fighter jet is shown approaching. As it draws closer, the Russian fighter dumps fuel as it intercepts the US drone. Russia has denied that a collision occurred. US Military Releases Footage Of Russian Jet Forcing Down Drone, Black Sea - 16 Mar 2023
    A US reaper drone was downed by a Russian Su-47 in the Black Sea last month (Picture: Shutterstock)
    Fizik research vessel's position by the coast of Crimea on 16 March 2023 Metro graphics
    The drone sank into the depths off the coast of Crimea (Picture: East2West)

    Included in the salvage was an AN/AAS-52 multispectral optronic turret system, an AN/APY-8 surface reconnaissance radar system, a Link-16 data exchange system and secure telemetry and satellite communication stations, says a report by Svobodnaya Pressa.

    The drone debris was reportedly examined by specialist Russian laboratories including at the Central Research Institute of the Airborne Forces of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

    Russia believes it can develop electronic warfare jamming technology to thwart the MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drones as it passes data to satellites, says the report.

    It accuses the US of passing intelligence from the drone to the Ukrainian armed forces.

    Russian naval vessels were known to have mounted an operation in the Black Sea to recover the downed drone.

    Russia last month honoured two Su-27 pilots it said were involved in the downing of the Reaper.

    The pair Sergey Popov and Vasily Vavilov, both air force majors, were handed state awards by Vladimir Putin’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu who had announced soon after the incident that the men would be honoured.

    The unarmed US MQ-9 Reaper had its tail propeller struck by the Russian warplane which had earlier discharged fuel on the unmanned flyer.

    The West viewed the interception as illegal, while Russia portrayed the pilots as heroes.

    America branded the incident – a ‘brazen violation of international law’, blaming the Russians for ‘an unsafe and unprofessional intercept’.

    The pilots were awarded Orders of Courage.

    Pilot Major Vasily Vavilov said: ‘We were on combat air defence duty when we received an order to take off.

    ‘Two crews flew to intercept a drone which was flying with the purpose of violating the [Russian] state border.

    ‘We flew close to the drone, identified it, and then performed manoeuvres to force it not to carry out its duty.’

    Russia said the incident was in an area in which it had closed the air space.

    Officially Moscow said the incident was a ‘provocation’.

    Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said the drone ‘was flying with its transponders off, and it entered the zone of the special military operation’.

    The Russian defence ministry said: ‘As a result of sharp manoeuvring, the MQ-9 drone went into an unguided flight with loss of altitude and collided with the water surface.’