Russian media released a video on 18/8 showing Russian troops using a "captured M113 armored vehicle" in an attack near the village of Malaya Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia province. The vehicle was fitted with cage armor and displayed both the American and Russian flags on its roof.
Later in the video, smoke and sparks are seen coming from the vehicle. It is unclear whether this was the result of a drone attack.
The video was provided by a member of the 70th Regiment of the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division. According to Russian media, the soldiers captured the M113 in combat, repaired it, and then deployed it back to the front lines.
The video's release followed a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and former US President Donald Trump in Alaska. Trump later stated that peace between Russia and Ukraine could be achieved relatively quickly, calling the meeting "a 10 out of 10" due to the apparent rapport between the two leaders.
After a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on 18/8, Trump said he had spoken with Putin to arrange a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. He indicated that a trilateral meeting between the US, Russia, and Ukraine would follow.
The M113, manufactured by the US company FMC Corporation, was introduced by the US Army in 1961 to replace the M59 armored personnel carrier in units stationed in Europe. It was the first mass-produced aluminum-hulled armored vehicle, making it lighter than previous similar vehicles while offering protection against some small arms fire.
The US later gradually replaced the M113 with the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle, but dozens of countries continue to use upgraded versions of the M113.
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Malaya Tokmachka village, Zaporizhzhia province. Graphics: RYV |
Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Washington and its allies have provided Kyiv with over 1,600 M113 armored vehicles. Oryx, a Netherlands-based open-source intelligence defense analysis website, estimates that at least 411 of these vehicles have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned, or captured by Russia.
Nguyen Tien (According to Lenta, AP, Business Insider)
