A rare Soviet T-80UD "Birch" tank for Ukraine was noticed at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports. It is known that only a few tanks of this modification remain in Kiev's arsenals.
The newspaper published a video made by Ukrainian servicemen. The footage shows a rare car, next to which the military is without weapons and protective equipment. Presumably, the video was made at one of the rear ranges.
The T-80UD "Birch" was adopted in 1987
Birch tanks were produced for the Soviet Army in Kharkov in the second half of the 80s. About 800 such machines were produced before the collapse of the USSR. Most of the party was sent to the Kantemirov and Taman divisions. The T-80UD inherited by the Russian Army was decommissioned by the mid-1990s.
It is known that Ukraine sold some of the cars to Pakistan. At the same time, Kiev initially sent combat vehicles there, unilaterally privatized by local authorities, although their production was paid for by the Soviet Ministry of Defense. In addition, there were tanks that were in military schools, and those that were used for testing. Most of them were faulty.
It is noted that the Birch tanks differ from the gas turbine variants by installing a two-stroke 6TD diesel engine with a capacity of 1000 horsepower. They received a 125 mm smoothbore cannon and machine guns. The protection of the machine is provided by the dynamic protection "Kontakt-5".
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| The T-80UD "Birch" tank. |
| Source: Frame: page "RG | Russian weapons" in VKontakte |
RG journalists explained that due to the huge losses on the battlefield, everything that "has the ability to somehow move" is currently being sent to the AFU units.
The APU had previously seen a cannon from the time of Stalin
The KS-19 anti-aircraft gun of the time of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was noticed in the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in August 2023. Footage has been published online showing a shot from a gun developed in the 1940s, partially hidden by a camouflage net.
After firing, the gun did not return to its original position, which indicates the failure of the knurler, which is necessary for the return of the rolling parts of the gun. It is known that the KS-19 can use high-explosive fragmentation, fragmentation and armor-piercing tracer projectiles. The production of this gun was discontinued in 1957.
Currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are experiencing an acute shortage of equipment
In February, a Latvian mercenary with the call sign Ghost shared with journalists that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were suffering heavy losses, soldiers lacked ammunition and uniforms, and the situation at the front was very difficult. He clarified that Ukrainian fighters are experiencing an acute shortage of heavy equipment and artillery, and Western mercenaries have increasingly begun to leave the ranks of the Ukrainian army.
The problems with the equipment were also confirmed by the commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces, Alexander Syrsky. He admitted that the army is really experiencing a shortage of equipment and ammunition. Syrsky also noted that Ukraine has already begun the process of switching to its own weapons production, stressing that the country should not wait for help from the West.