Russia keeps testing its bridge-carrying "turtle tank" in Donbas
Russia's 40th Naval Infantry Brigade appears to be still working on an up-armored T-80 tank carrying a bridge span. Its first attempt to cross a river in Donetsk Oblast last year failed.
Russian forces appear not to have abandoned an improvised bridgelayer: an up-armored T-80 "turtle tank" with a short metal bridge span fixed to its front. Recently noticed footage from the Russian rear shows such a vehicle in training. In the context of the war in Ukraine this matters because the span could help Russian troops cross narrow water obstacles in Donetsk Oblast.
The vehicle was first identified in late December last year by open-source analyst Moklasen. It was used by Russia's 40th Naval Infantry Brigade as it struggled to cross a small river north of the ruins of Myrnohrad in eastern Ukraine. The idea was to drop the span quickly over the narrowest point so that following vehicles and infantry could cross. The attempt at the Kazennyi Toretsk River failed.
The source's author points to design problems. It is unclear how a crew could precisely lay and adjust the span without leaving the tank and exposing themselves to artillery and drones. The extra weight probably reduces speed and mobility, and the vehicle is even more vulnerable to drones.
Observer Will Knowler later noted footage showing two T-80BVM tanks of the 40th brigade in the rear, in warmer weather than in the first images. The exact filming date is unknown, but it could be last spring or this autumn. The source notes that many improvised Russian assault vehicles, built in front-line workshops, do not work until they suddenly do.
The Kramatorsk axis
The bridgelayer appeared as Russia's Center Group of Forces shifted from urban fighting to open terrain. Its aim is to force a southern route toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the last two large cities in Donetsk Oblast under Ukrainian control. Those routes have grown more important since Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, through its robot-led Operation Vivaldi counteroffensive, pushed the Russian 20th and 25th Combined Arms Armies away from the northern approach.
That does not mean Kramatorsk is in imminent danger. The roughly 25 km to the city's outskirts are extremely dangerous for an attacker, with mines, drones and artillery causing heavy losses. Over a year, Russian forces have moved the gray zone about 10 km along the westernmost approach, while the easternmost approach through Kostiantynivka has proved harder, with the city still contested.
