A Russian BTR-82A armored personnel carrier in the Victory Day military parade in Moscow’s Red Square on June 24, 2020.Vladimir Pesnya/Host Photo Agency via Getty Images
Russian troops tried to retake the Ukrainian town of Andriivka, near Bakhmut last week.
They used Soviet-era armored vehicles for the offensive, according to reports.
An unverified photo appears to show at least one destroyed BTR-50 in Andriivka.
Russian troops, who failed to retake a Ukrainian town last week, were sent into battle in Soviet-era armored vehicles that ceased production in 1970, reports suggest.
A photo published by independent open-source analysts appears to show at least one destroyed BTR-50 in Avdiivka, a town located in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast. The photo also appears to show the blurry bodies of soldiers scattered around the vehicle.
Insider was unable to independently verify the image.
The BTR-50 is a Soviet-era armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed in 1952 and was used by the army for 12 years, Forbes reported. Production of the vehicle, which is lightly armed and thinly armored, stopped in 1970.
Last week, Russia tried a late push to retake Avdiivka by attempting to flank it from the south and north. But Ukrainian mines, artillery, and drones caused the Russians to suffer serious losses.
At least 36 Russian tanks and armored vehicles were destroyed in the first 24 hours of the offensive, according to the Kyiv Post.
Russia first started deploying the BTR-50 armored personnel carriers in Ukraine in March this year, according to British intelligence.
Russia has lost a lot of military equipment and weapons since it launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, forcing it to deploy vintage equipment, including 60-year-old T-62 main battle tanks.
However, the outdated equipment presents many vulnerabilities on the modern battlefield and stands limited chances against many of the Western-sent weapons Ukraine has been using.
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