How a Ukrainian soldier used a U.S. weapon to decimate a Russian tank

One soldier destroyed a powerful Russian tank
The National Guard of Ukraine
What the footage shows
The Russian tank caught fire
Was the tank destroyed?
Its likely the tank too damaged to go on
Fired by a soldier from the 15th Operational Brigade
Ukraine’s best anti-tank system
The world's premier shoulder-fired system
A fire and forget weapon
Guided to targets by infrared
The weapon that saved Ukraine
Vital for holding off the Russians
The U.S. has sent over 10,000 Javelins to Ukraine
One soldier destroyed a powerful Russian tank

Combat footage from the frontlines of the Ukraine war, dating back to September 2024, captured a rare and intense moment—a Ukrainian soldier expertly deploying a Javelin anti-tank missile to obliterate a Russian tank.

The National Guard of Ukraine

Published on the X account of the National Guard of Ukraine, on the 29th of September, the video shows a soldier from the National Guard in a firing stance inside what appears to be a trench line before launching off an anti-tank missile that eventually finds its target. 

Photo Credit: X @ng_ukraine

What the footage shows

The thirty-six-second clip includes overhead drone footage that allegedly captured the result of the attack. The anti-tank missile can be seen flying on a downward arc at the Russian tank in a downward arch before hitting the T-72B3 and exploding. 

Photo Credit: X @ng_ukraine / Edited by The Daily Digest

The Russian tank caught fire

The Russian T-72B3 would eventually catch on fire and the final scene of the footage showed smoke billowing from the vehicle. 

Photo Credit: X @ng_ukraine

Was the tank destroyed?

However, the video clip does not provide any conclusive evidence that the tank was ultimately damaged beyond repair, though Ukriane's National Guard claimed it was destroyed.

Its likely the tank too damaged to go on

It is likely that the fire caused by the Javelin attack did result in the tank’s destruction. The incident took place somewhere along the frontline in the Pokrovsk sector. 

Photo Credit: X @ng_ukraine

Fired by a soldier from the 15th Operational Brigade

The Javelin anti-tank missile was fired by a soldier from Ukraine's 15th Operational Brigade according to a report from Militarnyi. 

Ukraine’s best anti-tank system

“It should be noted that the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile system is currently the most advanced anti-tank weapon in the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” Militarnyi reported about the American-made anti-tank weapon. 

 

The world's premier shoulder-fired system

The Javelin system is “the world's premier shoulder-fired anti-armor system” according to Lockheed Martin, which is one of the two American defense companies responsible for the creation and distribution of the weapon, the other being Raytheon. 

A fire and forget weapon

“Javelin takes the fight to the enemy. Javelin automatically guides itself to the target after launch, allowing the gunner to take cover and avoid counterfire. Soldiers…can reposition immediately after firing, or reload to engage another threat,” Lockheed Martin added. 

Guided to targets by infrared

The Javelin uses an infrared guidance system to destroy targets in battle. According to United24, the weapon offers a top-down attack mode to strike lesser-protected areas of enemy armor and a direct attack mode to strike enemy vehicles and other targets.   

The weapon that saved Ukraine

Javelin anti-tank missile systems proved vital to Ukraine during the early weeks of the Russian invasion according to NBC News. CNN cited the Javelin as one of the three weapons that changed the course of Russia’s war against Ukraine. 

Vital for holding off the Russians

“The Javelin, very specifically that system’s advanced capabilities, have been vital to Ukrainian military survival and ability to hold ground,” John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the nonpartisan Madison Policy Forum told NBC News in March 2022. 

The U.S. has sent over 10,000 Javelins to Ukraine

According to the U.S. Department of State, Washington has given Ukraine more than 10,000 Javelin anti-tank systems since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022. 

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