A pair of Russian BTR-80 eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers rushed together to storm Ukrainian positions and blew up together too. Completely simultaneously. This was such a strange sight that it kind of makes you wonder what kind of weapon was used to destroy these two vehicles.
Two Russian BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers blew up at the exact same time (Screenshot).
Such a perfectly simultaneous explosion has to be an incredibly rare occurrence. How can two different targets be engaged at the exact same time? Especially in the case of anti-tank landmines, which are said to have been the culprit here. It’s hard to imagine how two Russian BTR-80s could hit two different landmines at the same time, but that is apparently what happened near Stepove in the Donetsk region.
The Russian BTR-80 went to the attack together and exploded together:
Stepove, a pair of advancing Russian BTR-80s simultaneously run into a pair of Ukrainian mines. pic.twitter.com/XIEo4R3GQK
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) February 28, 2024
It is said that it is simply a coincidental explosion of two landmines. And it is hard to doubt that explanation. Some people commented that some landmines are connected in a network of sorts and they can in a way coordinate their detonation.
But let’s for a second imagine that we have no answer. What else could have caused such a simultaneous explosion of two armoured vehicles?
This attack somewhat resembles the work of the artillery shell Bonus. The Bonus projectile midflight releases two submunitions with separate warheads. Those submunitions have winglets that slow down their fall and make some time for target acquisition.
When they detect armoured targets, they fire armour-piercing warheads to the top of them, where the armour is significantly thinner. In other words, one 155 mm shell can destroy two tanks or other armoured vehicles and they explode pretty much simultaneously. The Bonus is a joint creation of Bofors of Sweden and Nexter of France. It has been in service since 2000 and supplied to Ukraine since 2022.
But, of course, it is possible that the Russian BTR-80s simply ran over two landmines at the same time. Especially since the usual Bonus traces are not visible in the air.
The defenders of Ukraine have created many strong minefields to try and curb Russian advances. When mines are well-placed, they can catch some vehicles unprepared. Ukrainians are even using robots to place landmines now, which is yet another interesting example of unmanned systems being used as weapons.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Osinttechnical Twitter, Wikipedia