A turret fell from the sky amid a plume of black smoke after it was blown clean off a Russian tank in what is known as a jack-in-the-box effect, as these images show.
The images were obtained from the Ukrainian Operational Command ‘North’, on Wednesday, July 6, along with a statement saying: “Somewhere in the steppes of Donbas, an enemy tank met soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and ‘tore off its turret’ out of joy. This is such a short fairy tale.”
They added: “Good morning, Ukraine! Believe in your defenders! Support them! Victory is ours!”
The footage and the statement were also relayed by the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A jack-in-the-box effect is when a tank’s ammunition ignites, causing its turret to be blown clean off. Russian tanks are known to have a design flaw that makes them susceptible to this effect.
The T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks all feature an auto-loading system that allows them to do without a fourth crew member, making the tank more compact and therefore harder to hit.
But this comes at a cost: if the ammunition compartment is hit, it runs the risk of detonating inside the tank, with the resulting explosion blasting the turret clean off.
Modern Western tank, such as American M1 Abrams or the French Leclerc, to name only two, do not suffer from this problem as they feature vents that can open and channel the explosives, and their explosive force when detonated, away from the crew.
This has two key advantages: increasing the survival rate of the crew and decreasing the amount of maintenance a damaged tank often needs.
We contacted the Ukrainian Operational Command ‘North’ for further comment, as well as the Russian Ministry of Defense, but haven’t received a reply at the time of writing.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin continues to call a “special military operation.” Today marks the 133rd day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and July 6, Russia had lost about 36,500 personnel, 1,600 tanks, 3,789 armored combat vehicles, 812 artillery units, 247 multiple launch rocket systems, 107 air defense systems, 217 warplanes, 187 helicopters, 664 drones, 153 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,648 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 65 units of special equipment.
Russian forces have hit targets across Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region with the local governor urging 350,000 civilians to evacuate.
Heavy shelling has been reported in the city of Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region, with at least two people killed and seven injured.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing his advantage after his forces captured the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk, in the eastern Luhansk region, ordering Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to continue the offensive.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukrainian forces would retake the city “thanks to the increase in the supply of modern weapons.”
Luhansk’s regional governor Serhiy Haidai said that Ukraine’s troops have now moved to new fortified positions. He pleaded for more weapons from Ukraine’s allies to help fight Russia’s current advantage.
Haidai also said that the battle for Lysychansk had forced Russia to commit troops that could have been fighting on other fronts, giving Ukraine time to reinforce the Donetsk region. Ukrainian troops have set up new defensive lines in the region, where they are in control of major cities, with plans to launch a counter-offensive in the southern part of the country.
President Zelensky is negotiating with Turkey and the UN in a bid to secure guarantees for his country’s grain exports. The move comes after Turkish authorities detained a Russian cargo ship carrying grain allegedly stolen from Ukraine. The ship is said to contain over 7,000 tons of grain that Russian officials said would be sent to “friendly” countries.
Ukraine has now also asked Turkey to investigate three additional Russian ships that it says transported stolen grain.
The leader of the Russian-backed administration in the occupied Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, Yevgeny Balitsky, has said they plan to sell Ukraine’s grain to Middle Eastern countries.
Canada has become the first NATO country to formally ratify Sweden’s and Finland’s accession into the Alliance.
Finland and Sweden completed accession talks at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Monday, July 4. NATO said: “Both countries formally confirmed their willingness and ability to meet the political, legal and military obligations and commitments of NATO membership.”
NATO’s 30 member countries have sent the Nordic countries’ membership bids to their parliaments for approval.
NATO has appointed U.S. Army General Christopher G. Cavoli as its new Supreme Allied Commander in Europe. He speaks Russian and has a master’s degree from Yale in Russian studies.
Latvia has said that it is reinstating compulsory military service as a result of growing tension with Russia over President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
