Canadian APC Manages to Evacuate Ukrainian Casualties on Just Three Wheels

A video of a badly damaged Canadian-built Roshel Senator “mine resistant ambush protected” (MRAP) vehicle was posted on X by the Ukrainian blogger Star Hunter on Monday, that showed the armored vehicle evacuating Ukrainian troops from the front lines in the Pokrovsk area of the Donetsk region, despite having lost its right rear wheel.

The images conjured up references to the 1965 song by the US folk band the New Christy Minstrels:

“Three wheels on my wagon, but I’m still rolling along.

The Cherokees are chasing me – arrows fly, right on by – but I’m singing a happy song.”

More than 1,800 Senators have been provided to Ukraine – around 200 donated directly by Canada with the balance purchased by Ukraine and other third-party donors – making it one of the most widely deployed armored vehicles used by Ukraine’s Armed Forces (AFU) and its State Border Guard Service.

The vehicle has earned a high reputation for reliability and survivability with Ukrainian users who have said it offers protection to its crews from direct anti-tank mine hits, saving many lives. It is considered to be an indispensable combat, load-carrying and casualty evacuation platform.

The Senator is manufactured by the Ontario based Roshel corporation. Described by its marketing material as the company’s flagship vehicle of a 10-vehicle range it offers CEN B7-rated ballistic armor capable of withstanding small arms fire, and artillery fragments along with underbody protection proofed against mines up to 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds) in explosive weight – levels of protection that Ukrainian troops have frequently attested to, not least in the latest video.

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Its 400-horsepower engine provides highly capable off-road performance with a passenger compartment able to carry up to 10 fully equipped personnel in full combat gear. Originally intended as a law enforcement vehicle, protection upgrades including modular armor and its double V underbody geometry have made it more than capable of operating on and surviving the modern battlefield.

In his biography on the Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce website, the founder and CEO of Roshel, Roman Shimonov a former member of Israel’s armed forces, stated that since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine the company has almost entirely concentrated on mass production of the Senator, Roshel’s signature armored personnel carrier, in support of Kyiv’s armed forces and other agencies involved in the war effort.

Current production rates are said to be around 120 vehicles per month which will be bolstered following the announcement by Shimonov in May that production of the vehicles in Ukraine was about to begin at an undisclosed location. Speaking at the “Securing Ukraine’s Future” conference, he said that preparations had been ongoing for at least two months according to a report by Ukrinform.