A video posted on social media shows the first destruction of one of the 14 units sent by the UK to Ukraine in March.
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“Fantastic Machines”. This is how the then Ukrainian Defense Minister, Olesksiy Reznikov, now replaced by Rustem Umerov, described the 14 British Challenger 2 tanks sent in March by the United Kingdom (UK), in his gratitude to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and his then counterpart British, Ben Wallace. They had already been considered “unbeatable” for having been in the wars in Bosnia, Iraq and Kosovo and never having been destroyed. Until now.
This Tuesday a video was circulated on social networks showing the supposed first destruction of one of these British tanks. The images, shared for the first time on Telegram, and captured from inside a car that was trying to escape from that scene, show the vehicle on fire, in the middle of a large cloud of gray smoke. It is not yet known what caused the incident.
‼️First visual confirmation of a destroyed British-made “Challenger 2” tank.
Burns just like the Leopards… the Abrams is next. pic.twitter.com/NUskhcruLp
— Spetsnaℤ 007 ???????? (@Alex_Oloyede2) September 5, 2023
According sky newsthe video was published by Vladimir Rogov, a Russian officer who revealed that the tank was being used by the 82nd Air Assault Brigade —the one that received the 14 vehicles from the United Kingdom—, in the operations of this unit in the city of Zaporizhia where it had been sent in August and to southern Ukraine.
The official also added that, when the incident occurred, this Monday, the tank was heading to Crimea, a territory annexed by Russia in 2014, and that it will have been destroyed by the Russian defense. Ukrainian defense sources confirmed that bbc that it was indeed a British Challenger 2 and ensured that all members survived.
The United Kingdom has not yet ruled on what happened, although the Defense Minister has not denied that a Challenger 2 is shown in the video.
This vehicle was capable of transporting up to four members, storing their ammunition in separate compartments, to avoid an explosion, in case of being hit, something that does not happen with other similar ones from Russia.
“A sniper rifle among the tanks” – A Ukrainian tanker shares his impressions of the use of the British Challenger 2 tank in battle. – “We could use a few more companies in the Ukraine… Russian tanks would be too scared to come out.” pic.twitter.com/18tcMMIRuj
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 3, 2023
According The GuardianSince it was launched into combat in 1994, no Challenger 2 has been destroyed, except for one that burned by accident in Iraq in 2003. This record is disputed only by the small number of vehicles in existence: the UK. It has 213, in addition to the 14 sent to Ukraine -and due to the little use that is given to them-.
Source: Observadora
