The Russian military used M113 armored vehicles captured from the Hryshyne region of the Pokrovsk Front in eastern Ukraine to attack Ukrainian military positions.
The operation took place in dense fog, allowing the vehicles to approach virtually undetected. Two M113s and an infantry fighting vehicle were spotted before crossing the line of contact and advancing into the village.
The counterattack was carried out by drone pilots from the “Panama” unit of Ukraine’s 1st Independent Regional Defense Brigade. Soldiers succeeded in destroying one M113 with a drone strike, allowing the second vehicle to withdraw from the area. An infantry fighting vehicle following the procession was also damaged during the battle.
In addition to damaging armored vehicles, Ukrainian drones attacked Russian soldiers who had disembarked from their vehicles during the attack. According to reports, five Russian soldiers were killed during and after direct combat in the attack.
This incident shows that vehicles provided to Ukraine by Western allies can be reused by Russian forces if they are not recovered after damage on the battlefield. According to data from Oryx Group, more than 500 M113s have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned or seized since the start of the conflict, reflecting the intensity of the fighting and the large-scale use of drones by both sides.
source: Defence Blog | Photo: This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team
❗️🇺🇦Ukrainian troops from the 1st Separate Territorial Defense Brigade are repelling 🇷🇺Russian assaults in the Pokrovsk direction. For the attack, the Russians used 2 captured M113s, a BMP, and small infantry groups. pic.twitter.com/3LPbiIKsUH
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) February 3, 2026
