Incredible moment: US 'Bradley' destroys three Russian BMP-2 combat vehicles as they try to flank Ukrainian soldiers defending a village – before one of Putin's 'best' battle tanks in the world is scrapped
The devastating effectiveness of the US Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) has been revealed in heartbreaking new images from Ukraine's frontlines.
An incredible clip shared by Ukraine's 109th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade showed the expertly piloted Bradley saving a troop of Kievan soldiers from certain death, reducing three Russian BMP-2 armored vehicles to smoldering wrecks.
The unit was defending the village of Stepove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region when a group of Russian armor descended on their location, ready to rain cannon fire on the Ukrainian positions.
Footage showed a trio of BMPs driving towards the city and threatening to flank the Ukrainian positions – until the Bradley screamed into view and began firing at them with armor-piercing rounds from its 25mm cannon.
The Russian vehicles were torn apart when the Bradley's gun smashed through their hulls and blew them off their tracks, saving Stepove's defenders from a bleak fate.
Another clip even showed the Bradley taking on a Russian tank – with resounding success.
The T-90 is among Russia's most advanced tanks on the battlefield in Ukraine, with Putin himself declaring it among the best in the world – but thanks to the Bradley's armor-piercing rounds and some precision gunfire, it was quickly torn apart.
Tracer bullets were seen streaking through the gloom, illuminating the snowy ground and tearing into the tank, which moments later erupted like fireworks when the ammunition inside ignited.
The Bradley IFV engaged three Russian BMP-2 armored vehicles on the outskirts of Stepove and destroyed them all.
A cloud of smoke rises from a destroyed Russian BMP-2
Another clip even showed the Bradley taking on a Russian tank – with resounding success
The Russian T-90 erupted like fireworks when the ammunition inside ignited after being hit by the Bradley's armor-piercing bullets
Tracer bullets were seen streaking through the dusk, lighting up the snowy ground and tearing into the tank
A US Army M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle
Bradley IFVs were delivered to Ukraine from the US early last year and more than 150 were reportedly operating on the front line by September.
The shocking clips underline their exceptional versatility and usefulness for the Ukrainian armed forces in fending off Russian armor and intercepting troop movements.
Now Ukraine's Western allies appear committed to supplying Kiev's forces with much-needed ammunition indefinitely.
A group of 23 countries, led by France and the US, will launch an 'artillery coalition' at a ceremony in Paris later today, aiming to strengthen Kiev's armed forces against the Russian army.
The effort is part of the so-called Ramstein Contact Group, which includes more than 50 countries supporting Ukraine.
The artillery coalition “aims to combine efforts to help Ukraine have an artillery force that meets the needs of its counter-offensive and its army of the future, in the short and long term,” the French Defense Ministry said.
“The big prize for Ukraine is to complete the transition from Soviet to Western equipment,” said Stephane Audrand, an international risk adviser.
With modern Western guns using 155-millimeter shells instead of the 122-mm ammunition of Soviet artillery, supply has become a critical issue.
The European Union had promised to deliver a million grenades this spring, but European Parliament lawmakers say only 300,000 have been delivered so far.
The French Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that production of artillery ammunition had tripled since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, to a planned monthly number of 3,000 this year.
That is far fewer than the number fired along the hundreds of kilometers of the front line, experts say.
France has also promised 78 new Caesar guns for Ukraine by early 2025, with six to be delivered “in the coming weeks,” the defense ministry said.
Joint financing must still be found for the rest of the guns, the ministry said.
Ukrainian soldiers fire a French-made CAESAR self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Avdiivka
A Ukrainian soldier from the 406th Artillery Brigade, named after Khorunzhoy General Oleksii Almazov, arranges 155mm shells near an M777 howitzer at a secret location in the Zaporizhia region, southeastern Ukraine, January 14, 2024
A Ukrainian soldier stands near the Archer Artillery System before firing at Russian positions
Ukrainian soldiers from the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade fire an M109A5 Paladin self-propelled howitzer at Russian troops near the frontline city of Bakhmut, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, January 16, 2024
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks with President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) during a visit to the presidential palace in Kiev, Ukraine, to announce a major new package of £2.5 billion in military aid for the country over the coming year
The Kiev Defense Ministry had said in December that it was “very important for Ukraine to increase its firepower, thanks to the artillery systems of allies,” and showed particular interest in acquiring more Caesars.
France has already sold or donated 30 of the truck-mounted guns to Ukraine, and another 19 from Denmark.
The Caesar can fire a 155mm shell over a distance of 25 miles before quickly changing position to avoid return fire from enemy artillery.
French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his support for Kiev on Tuesday after a Ukrainian counter-offensive last year failed to make the hoped-for territorial gains.
Almost two years after the start of the war, the front line has been largely gridlocked for months.
Macron said he will visit the country in February, the second time since Moscow invaded in 2022.
France is “in the process of finalizing an agreement” on security with Kiev, such as the 10-year agreement signed with Britain last week, he added.
Macron's new Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said in Ukraine on Saturday that France could work with Kiev to “strengthen Ukraine's capacity to produce (weapons) on its own territory.”
The president earlier this week announced further deliveries of “about 40” long-range SCALP missiles and “several hundred bombs” – detailed by a source familiar with the plans as AASM smart bombs dropped from planes.
Ukraine also needs support for its air defenses, which fend off near-night attacks from Russian drones and missiles.