Footage shared by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry appears to show Russian soldiers crossing the Dnipro River on a jet ski being whisked away by a drone.
The video, released by Ukraine’s 79th National Border Guard Service, appears to show Russian soldiers being targeted by Ukrainian FPV drones.
The drone follows the jet ski as it crosses the river. When the Russian soldiers reach the opposite bank, the drone rushes and hits the jet ski.
This tactic evolved into what has been nicknamed a “turtle tank,” so extensively covered in sheet metal that the vehicle can barely rotate its gun.
The caption accompanying the video reads: “The SBGSU aerial reconnaissance unit hit an enemy crew on a jet ski in the Kherson region with FPV drones. The death of the invaders is being clarified.”
Business Insider could not independently verify the video or details of the attack.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry later released the video saying: “The occupiers attempted to cross the Dnipro and received a “warm welcome” from the warriors of the 79th detachment.
Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced in March the creation of athe Dnipro River “Flotilla”” and a “brigade of river boats”.
The Dnipro, a natural barrier, constitutes a large part of the front line in southern Ukraine.
Russian forces have adopted various eclectic vehicles in recent months in an attempt to replenish their dwindling equipment and adapt to the ongoing challenges and threats posed by Ukrainian attack drones.
In April, a battalion of the separatist Luhansk People’s Republic, backed by Russia, released a video in which it appeared to attack Ukrainian positions on motorcycles.
In the video, several soldiers can be seen on motorcycles traveling over rough and uneven terrain. According to the message, the Russian assault was successful.
Quad bikes were also used in Russian assaults, according to reports.
Russia has also used Chinese-made open-top golf cart-style vehicles near the front line in Ukraine.
A screenshot from a video showing Russia using a Chinese-made Desertcross 1000-3 all-terrain vehicle in Ukraine. 60th Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine/Facebook
In March, Forbes reporter David Ax noted that the vehicles lacked armor and weapons and were typically seen on farms and construction sites, not on the battlefield.
“It is unwise, if not foolish, to deploy an open-top, unarmored all-terrain vehicle – essentially a rugged golf cart – into combat just 400 yards from the front line,” Ax wrote at the time.
The vehicles were used to transport infantry to the front line, according to Forbes, and video shows them being hit by shells and explosives dropped from drones.
We have also seen Russians modify their armor to try to protect them from drones and anti-tank fire.
The ever-present threat of drones on Ukrainian battlefields has pushed troops to experiment to increase their chances of survival. On April 5, Ukrainian forces said they had captured a Russian tank completely covered in electronic jamming equipment. However, the vehicle was still seen being removed by a drone from a first-person view.
businessinsider
