Video Analysis: Ukrainian Anti-Tank Weapons Appear to be Decimating Russian Armored Vehicles

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Javelin Anti-Tank missiles may be decimating Russian armored vehicles attempting to close in on Kyiv, and they may be using an effective strategy to shut down or close off key “intersections” or “choke points” vital to any Russian advance. They may also been disabling or destroying key supply lines necessary for the Russian force to sustain any kind of advance.

On Feb 28th, CNN’s Mathew Chance described video shots of a column of destroyed Russian armored vehicles in what looked like an attempt to cross a bridge. There were fallen soldiers and burnt and destroyed Russian vehicles in the video, in an area which looked like a bridge or narrow point of entry. 

Javelin Anti-Tank Missiles

While the exact weapons used to destroy these vehicles may not be known for obvious security reasons, the destruction to the vehicles may have been caused by Javelins. 

Experienced Iraqi war commanders do say that Javelins can destroy tanks and have been used in the past. At the same time, it could certainly be possible that that kind of damage to armored vehicles could also be caused by artillery or missiles fired from helicopters or aircraft. 

Most artillery systems, however, are challenged to hit moving targets and often used as “area” weapons to destroy fixed areas and enable troops to maneuver with the cover of suppressive fire. However, precision-guided artillery does exist now, and some emerging artillery weapons have shown an ability in testing to hit moving targets with laser-guidance, Ukrainian forces may not have advanced precision-artillery systems. 

Javelins, however, or air-fired missiles such as a HELLFIRE, are able to destroy moving vehicles trying to cross a bridge. Certainly small arms fire of any kind would not be able to destroy a small column of advancing armored vehicles.

It would make sense if Ukrainian forces were ambushing or closing off chokepoints or passageways crucial to a Russian attack given that it might be a way that a smaller number of well-armed soldiers with anti-tank missiles could potentially inflict a devastating combat impact without necessarily using tanks or heavy vehicles.