Ukrainian Special Ops Declare Hit on Russian T-90 Tank Worth Millions

Kyiv’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) reported via Telegram that they had hit a Russian T-90 tank using first-person view (FPV) drones.

“During reconnaissance operations in the Donetsk direction, operators of the 3rd regiment of the SSO identified an enemy T-90 tank, which was engaging the positions of the Defense Forces,” the SSO statement said.

Operators from the tactical group of the Medoid SSO successfully targeted the tank and used an FPV drone to both immobilize the vehicle and to wound both the commander and the gunner.

A video released by Special Ops initially showed the Russian tank firing, presumably at Ukrainian positions, after which Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance scouts tracked the tank for some time. The video then captured the moment the Ukrainian drone struck the tank.

The tank continued along the road for a while with a thick plume of smoke trailing behind it, before coming to a halt. A military truck then arrived at the now-stationary tank, from which Russian soldiers could be seen approaching the T-90, presumably, to assist in the evacuation of the wounded.

Kyiv Post was unable to independently verify the time and location of the video or to identify the specific model of tank because of the combination of the video quality and obscuration by fire and smoke.

In a comment to Kyiv Post, a Ukrainian aerial scout affirmed that the tank featured in the video was a T-90 but wasn’t able to determine the precise variant.

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The T-90 is one of Russia’s most modern main battle tank, with its value on the export market, depending on the level of modernization, ranging from between $2.5 to $4.3 million.

The Ukrainian aerial scout told Kyiv Post that the cost of the FPV drones used in the attack cost between Hr.14,000 to Hr.17,000 ($358 - $434). The contrast between the value of the two weapons systems could hardly be starker.

Prior to this incident, the SSO had also reported on the destruction of two Russian tanks, a T-90 and a T-72, two other military vehicles and the elimination of five Russian soldiers using FPV drones in a single operation.

These two missions further add to SSO successes utilizing drone technology.

In another single operation, one of its units eliminated 13 Russian soldiers and disabled six pieces of equipment, including two tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, an armored fighting vehicle, and a TOS-1A 220mm “Solntsepyok” heavy flamethrower system with FPV drones.