According to a video published on the Youtube account of the Russian MoD (Ministry of Defense) on March 15, 2022, the Russian army has already destroyed or captured several main battle tanks and armored vehicles of the Ukrainian army including BRDM-2s and T-64BVs in the Kherson region.
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Abandoned T-64BV main battle tank of the Ukrainian army in the Kherson region. (Picture source Russian MoD video footage)
Russia’s defense ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, said Russian forces had taken full control of all territory in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, Russian news agencies reported. The Ukrainian Air Force later struck the military airbase at Kherson International Airport again, destroying multiple Russian helicopters.
On March 15, 2022, landing ships of the Russian Navy were meanwhile approaching the coast of Odessa in three groups, including the Ivan Gren-class landing ship Pyotr Morgunov. Russian fighter jets and warships attacked settlements of the Odesa Oblast during the day according to Ukrainian officials.
According to the Oryx website, the Russian army would have already destroyed or captured more than 64 Main Battle Tanks of the Ukrainian army including T-64BV, T-72AV, and T-80BV as well as 27 BRDM-2 4x4 reconnaissance armored vehicles. According to the military balance 2021, Ukraine armed forces have a total of 854 MBTs including 720 T-64/T-64BV, 100 T-72AV/B1, 28 T-80BV, and 6 T-84 Oplot. On the other hand, citing open-source information, the Russian army would have lost 204 tanks and 406 armored vehicles.
In terms of reconnaissance armored vehicles, the Ukrainian army has a total of 548 vehicles including 433 BRDM-2s and 115 BRM-1K.
The T-64BV tank is an upgraded version of the T-64B main battle tank fitted with enhanced anti-radiation protection and additional explosive reactive armor. The tank is armed with a 125 mm 2A46M-1 smoothbore gun. One 7.62mm coaxial machine gun is mounted to the right side of the main armament. A 12.7mm NSVT machine gun is mounted on the top of the commander hatch which can be aimed and fired from within the tank. The T-64B's 125 mm cannon can also fire the anti-tank guided missile AT-8 Songster, Russian designation 9K112-1 Kobra at a maximum firing range of 4,000 m.
The BRDM-2 is a Soviet-made 4x4 light armored vehicle designed by V K Rubtsov of the Dedkov OKB in the early 1960s. This vehicle entered in service with the Soviet Army in 1962 with the first production in 1963 and was shown for the first time to the public in 1966.
The BRDM-2 is equipped with a single-man turret mounted in the center of the vehicle. The turret is armed with a 14.5mm KPVT heavy machine gun and a coaxial 7.62 PKT machine gun on the right side. The vehicle can accommodate up to four to five military personnel including driver and commander. The all-welded steel armor hull of the BRDM-2 provides the crew with protection from small arms fire 7.62mm caliber and shell splinters.
The BRDM-2 is motorized with a GAZ-41 V-8 water-cooled petrol developing 140 hp at 3,400 rpm coupled to a manual transmission with 4 forward and 1 reverse gears. It can run at a maximum speed of 100 km/h with a maximum road cruising range of 750 km.
The BRDM-2 is fully amphibious, being propelled in the water at a maximum speed of 10 km/h by a single water jet mounted at the rear of the hull.
On March 15, 2022, in a recent attack, the Russian army lost 3 T-72B3 main battle tanks. (Picture source Twitter Ukraine Weapons Tracker)
