Russians suffer significant mine casualties in the Kursk region
17 November, 2024 Destroyed Russian 3-STS "Akhmat" armored vehicle due explosion on mine. Freeze frame from the video of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Russian troops suffered significant losses of equipment during mechanized assaults from anti-tank mines that were laid in the Kursk region.
A video with a selection of Russian equipment explosions was posted on the Facebook page of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the General Staff, the enemy lost 17 units of equipment during assault attempts only due to the installed minefields. These obstacles were installed by both the Support Forces engineering units and the tactical support group units in the Kursk region.
"In this area, thanks to the minefields professionally equipped by the 12th Separate Support Regiment specialists and engineer units of other units of the Ground Forces, about 30% of enemy vehicles were destroyed while trying to advance. I thank the soldiers for their high professionalism and effective combat work," the General Staff reported.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are actively mining possible offensive routes using a variety of vehicles. In particular, various heavy drones, multi-copters, ground robotic platforms, and artillery. For this purpose, various mines provided by partner countries, remnants of Soviet stockpiles, and new mines produced in Ukraine are used. At the same time, new mines are produced not only by defense industry enterprises but also by engineering units of military units themselves.
Such products vary in a wide range of artisanal quality, from unique handmade items to standardized "industrial" models.
A batch of PTM-3 mine copies, produced by 414th Strike Drone Regiment. Photo credits: Magyar
A vivid example of such production is a copy of the Soviet anti-tank mine PTM-3 produced by the engineering service of the 414th Birds of Magyara Strike Drone Regiment. This situation with the loss of Russian equipment on mines in the Kursk region is not new.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that in October alone, the Russians lost or damaged more than 20 pieces of military equipment on minefields. According to the published information, in October, Russian troops lost or damaged seven armored personnel carriers, seven infantry fighting vehicles, one Tiger armored vehicle, and five T-72 main battle tanks. This once again confirms the importance of high-quality engineering training for defense.
Only by using the entire range of means, from equipping positions to installing both mine and non-explosive barriers, can a sustainable defense be created and the enemy suffer the greatest losses.