UK intelligence on Russia's “explosive rams”: Probably invention of Chechens

UK intelligence suggests that the Russian occupiers' use of old equipment as a battering ram with explosives could have been initiated by units from Chechnya. Source: UK Defence Intelligence report on Twitter on 13 July, as reported by European Pravda Details: The use of outdated armoured vehicles by Russian soldiers as vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) has been mentioned in multiple sources from June 2023.

The crew probably bailed out the vehicle after directing it. Most Russian VBIED reports have been made in and around Marinka, and they began days after Chechen soldiers arrived in the region.

Quote: "There is a realistic possibility that Chechen forces are pioneering the tactic," the UK Defence Intelligence reports. The analysts recall that Chechen fighters have a history of being competent at using IEDs that dates back to the Chechen Wars in the 1990s.

Similar VBIEDs were also reportedly manufactured in January 2023 by Chechens fighting for Ukraine. The Defence Intelligence say that most of Russia's VBIEDs have almost certainly detonated before they reached their target through a combination of anti-tank mines and direct fire.

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"However, these VBIEDs cause extremely large explosions, which are still likely to have a psychological effect on defending forces," the report reads. Background: The previous report of the UK Defence Intelligence suggested that from the public appearance of Russian top officials, General Surovikin, who is close to Evgeny Prigozhin, the financier of the Wagner Private Military Company, was really pushed into the background after the rebellion.

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