In a “High Noon” moment recorded on the battlefield that is Ukraine, an American M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle got the better of two Russian BTR-82A vehicles.
Based on information supplied by Ukraine’s military, the Bradley, part of Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade, destroyed two Russian armored personnel carriers, according to Newsweek.
A video of the clash was posted to X.
WARNING: The following video depicts scenes of battlefield violence that some may find disturbing.
🤯🔥
🇺🇸US-supplied M2A2 Bradley of the Ukrainian 47th Mechanised Brigade destroys 🇷🇺Russian BTR-82A in super close range with its 25mm Bushmaster cannon
«Squad» game in real life 🤯😳
📍Avdiivka sector pic.twitter.com/7tFEdvUELZ
— Cloooud |🇺🇦 (@GloOouD) June 7, 2024
Newsweek reported that Ukraine has been supplied with more than 300 Bradleys, equipped with 25 mm cannons, 7.62 mm machine guns and TOW anti-tank missile launchers.
In a statement, the Ukrainian unit said Russian troops had been detected, leading the Ukrainian unit to lie in wait before using the Bradley’s chain gun to destroy the vehicles.
A Ukrainian commander told the news outlet in January that the Bradley is so fierce the Russian forces are “afraid” to probe “when they know that a Bradley will be against them.”
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A Ukrainian military website noted that the armored personnel carriers were disabled, and the Russian soldiers who survived the attack could be seen in a field near the wreckage of their vehicle.
A report from the Institute for the Study of War posted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “inadvertently indicated on June 5 that Russian forces may be suffering roughly 20,000 monthly casualties in Ukraine, which, if accurate, would be roughly equal to or just below the number of new personnel that Russia reportedly generates per month.”
The Institute also noted that even as U.S. and Russian hardware collides in Ukraine, Putin is sending a message that the nuclear sphere remains a possibility.
“Russian naval vessels will make a port call in Cuba on June 12–17, likely as part of a larger effort to invoke the historical memory of the Cuban Missile Crisis as part of Russia’s reflexive control campaign to encourage US self-deterrence,” it reported, noting that Putin also said Russia “will provide long-range strike capabilities to unspecified actors for strikes against the West.”
The U.K. Independent noted that one of the ships, the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, can carry Zircon hypersonic missiles, which Russia says could carry a nuclear warhead.
The Institute for the Study of War said Putin is following a familiar pattern.
“Putin has repeatedly used nuclear saber-rattling to push the West to self-deter during times when the West has faced key moments on critical policy decisions in how to best support Ukraine,” it wrote.
“The Kremlin likely hopes that the clear allusion to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the inclusion of a reportedly nuclear weapons–capable ship will force the West to engage in self-deterrence. The Kremlin likely coordinated the announcement of the Russian navy’s port calls in Cuba with Putin’s threats to provide long-range strike capabilities to unspecified actors for strikes against the West, as both activities can instill fear in the West,” it wrote.
Meanwhile, Pranay Vaddi, the top National Security Council arms control official, said unless America’s enemies engage in arms talks, it may be time to increase America’s nuclear arsenal, according to Reuters.
“Absent a change in adversary arsenals, we may reach a point in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required. We need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision,” he said.
“If that day comes, it will result in a determination that more nuclear weapons are required to deter our adversaries and protect the American people and our allies and partners.”
