Image Source: Photo: Bravery2004
After the crushing defeat of the Ukrainian armed forces at the end of the summer of 2014, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hastily began to form new formations, for which there was simply not enough serviceable equipment.
As a result, various ersatz vehicles began to enter service in some of them, for example, tracked tank tractors BTS-4 of various modifications created on the basis of the T-54A and T-55. 23-mm twin ZSU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns were installed on their cargo platforms.
Strictly speaking, the Ukrainians only repeated the Soviet experience of the Afghan war, however, then these armored tow trucks with additional weapons were used for their intended purpose, and in the Donbas they were, in fact, replaced by tanks.
Later, these improvised simulacra of fire support vehicles underwent some modernization, in particular, they were reinforced with reservations.
It is not known whether these ersatz BMPT are currently in the military, although three years ago, information appeared from time to time that they were seen in some units.
Dmitry Lemeshko
