Russian troops have started deploying a new kind of tank-targeting "smart mine" never seen on the battlefield before.
The lethal PTKM-1R can launch itself up to 100ft in the air when its target rolls within 100 metres, scan the ground and then fire an explosive at it from above.
Believed to have been introduced to the Russian military in 2020, the mine has been compared to the US Army's M-93 "Hornet" wide-area munition, which uses seismic and acoustic sensors to identify potential targets in the vicinity.
A PTKM-1R was discovered in Ukraine on April 26 in a harrowing new development as the conflict rages on, The Telegraph reports.
One photo posted to Twitter, reportedly taken earlier in the week, shows the mine placed on the ground in a field with its eight legs folded outwards.
The mines can theoretically distinguish between tanks and non-military cars, but their presence in Ukraine has raised concerns for the safety of civilians who might come across one.
Four directional acoustic sensors and seismic sensors are set off when a target vehicle comes within 100m of the mine, at which point a projectile flight path will be calculated.
The mine will then tilt down at a 30-degree angle towards the tank.
When it's within range a 6.2lb explosive warhead is launched up to 100ft into the air, as the mine's infrared censors scan the ground below for the target.
An explosive metal projectile is then fired with enough speed to penetrate almost three inches into steel armour - and the whole terrifying process takes just a matter of seconds.
The Ukrainian military has been relying on armoured tanks to defend the nation from invading Russian forces.
Modern tanks tend to be made from lightweight ceramic alternatives to steel, which make them easier to manoeuvre but are now vulnerable to a targeted attack from above as the turrets atop the tank are weaker.
In November the Russian military posted a YouTube video capturing the slow-motion moment a PTKM-1R struck an unmanned tank.
It remains unknown if the mines have successfully taken out any Ukrainian tanks at this point.
Russia's use of land mines in the occupied country has become notorious since the invasion began in February.
Evacuation routes for Ukrainian civilians have been covered with the explosives in an attempt to drive them to Russia or Belarus instead, in a move described as "cynical beyond belief" by Europe Minister James Cleverly.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has also accused Russian soldiers of leaving active mines on the bodies of the dead.
