Vladimir Putin’s desperate military officials have resorted to using tanks designed in the 1970s as equipment shortages take their toll.
The Ukrainian military claim they spotted the Lagoda, an ultra-rare Soviet-era armoured vehicle, on the battlefield. A video released on social media appears to show a Ukrainian military drone striking the Russian vehicle near the Kreminna Forest in eastern Ukraine.
The deployment of the ‘doomsday tank’ exposes the dire state of Russia’s military circles. The rare nuclear command tank was first tested 38 years ago, during the Chernobyl meltdown.
The sighting is even more incredible given that only five Lagodas were ever built. The vehicle’s interior includes several plush chairs and tables, given its intended use by the Soviet Union’s high command.
The vehicle was designed to operate in environments with high levels of radiation, chemical, or biological contamination – not on the frontline of a slow-moving conflict.
AFV Recognition, a social media account tracking the Russian military in Ukraine, posted: “Out of all the vehicles that have been pulled out of storage and used by Russia in this war, this is one that was really at the bottom of my list to even see in theatre, never mind destroyed.”
It is thought that Russia has lost 6,904 tanks since the start of the invasion, according to Ukraine’s defence ministry.
This figure far outpaces the number of newly built combat vehicles, which is thought to be around 500 to 600 a year.
