HIMARS Attack on Modern T-90M: Fire Blast Reportedly Destroys Russian Tank Company

HIMARS attack on modern T-90M
A Russian tank company is said to have been damaged in the fire

By Janice Peach
05/20/2023, 09:19 am

Moscow’s forces reportedly lost several valuable T-90 tanks in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. According to a journalist, a spy plane spotted modern surveillance vehicles. Then Ukrainian artillery reportedly did the rest.

In May last year, a Russian battalion trying to cross the Seversky Donets River in eastern Ukraine suffered heavy casualties. Artillery attacks by the 17th Ukrainian Tank Brigade destroyed the pontoon bridge and over 35 vehicles. Now, a year later, Kiev’s armed forces appear to have achieved similar success.

Ukrainian war correspondent Andriy Chaplienko released two of his drone images on Friday Telegram-channel, showing multiple bins. “A company of Russian T-90 tanks, up to ten units, was reportedly destroyed by a HIMARS attack at night,” Tsaplienko wrote with the footage. The tanks were spotted by a Poseidon spy drone in the Petrovsky district of the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk. “They probably intended to take part in the attack on nearby Marzinga.”

The extent of damage to the tanks cannot be estimated from photographs. It is also unclear when the recordings were made and which Ukrainian faction was responsible for them. According to the RTL/NTV verification team, the images actually show Petrovsky District. Place Logs are eight kilometers east of Marjinka. Judging by the flora, the recent photo date is likely.

Russian daily newspaper Izvestia Heavy fighting around Marzinga was reported earlier this year, involving T-90M Proryw main battle tanks. According to a newspaper loyal to the government, the use of modern surveillance vehicles has “significantly improved” the situation in the assault units. Marjinka has been a front town since 2014 and has been mostly destroyed. Russian troops have not yet succeeded in completely capturing the city.

Introduced to the Russian Armed Forces in 1992, the T-90 was derived from the T-72. And the upgraded M variant Proryw is a more modern version, which entered service only three years ago, and serial production runs from 2021. The tank has a radar-absorbing protective shell, and its main armament is a 125 mm smoothbore cannon, which is also used on the T-14 Armata. According to the Dutch portal Oryx Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian forces have destroyed, badly damaged or captured more than 60 T-90 tanks.