Russian tank sent flying high into sky after Ukrainian paratroopers blow it to bits

dailystar.co.uk:

war in Ukraine shows the moment that a Russian BMP-1AM armoured assault vehicle was obliterated by a Ukrainian missile.The BMP-1AM, a holdover from the Soviet Cold War arsenal, is a heavily armed troop carrier that’s hardened against nuclear fallout and biological agents and was intended to roll through Europe in the event of a major conflict with NATO.Armed with a 73mm Grom infantry support gun and a Malyutka missile launcher, the BMP also has capacity to carry an eight-man infantry squad along with their equipment.

While the BMP was produced in huge numbers during the Cold War years, the loss of yet another one will be a bitter blow to Vladimir Putin’s army, as international sanctions eat into Russia’s ability to manufacture weapons.

Not only hardware, but manpower is also increasingly a problem for Russian commanders.An intelligence report from the Ministry of Defence said: “Russia’s combat force in the Donbas is highly likely operating in increasingly ad hoc and severely undermanned groupings.” Meanwhile Ukraine’s arsenal is only increasing as shipments from the UK and other western allies continue to flow in.

The Aystralian government has just this week pledged 14 M113 armoured personnel carriers – very similar tkit to the Russian vehicle just destroyed by Ukraine.Brigadier Chris King, the officer in charge of the British Army's 104 Logistic Support Brigade, which organises weapons shipments to Ukraine from a forward base in Germany known as ”The Attic”, says that he expects to be supplying Ukraine for “years to come” as the war looks set to continue for quite some time.“This is a generational moment,” Brigadier King told The Times.