WATCH seven of the most remarkable Russia-Ukraine winter warfare videos

Active hostilities have been continuing between Moscow and Kiev throughout the winter with the conflict nearing its three-year anniversary

The latest winter season in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has seen active combat continuing unhindered amid mild weather and little snow in the region. The latest video digest gives a glimpse of the continuing hostilities and the latest trends in the conflict, which is now nearing the three-year mark.

Rare tank battle

Tank-on-tank battles have been an extremely rare occurrence during the conflict, with the armored vehicles commonly operating as mobile artillery from covered firing positions largely to the extreme density of assorted drones deployed by both sides onto the battlefield. A rare close-quarter tank skirmish occurred a few weeks ago near the Donbass city of Pokrovsk (also known as Krasnoarmeysk).

Drone footage shows a Russian military convoy led by a tank running into two Ukrainian armored vehicles on a road across a small wooded area. The tanks exchange multiple shots, with the Russian armor landing several hits and disabling the Ukrainian leading vehicle. The second tank retreats only to get hunted down by FPV drones in an open field.

Kursk battle continues

The winter season has been marked by several major attacks launched by Kiev in Russia’s Kursk Region, first invaded by the Ukrainian forces last August. Since then, the Ukrainian zone of control has shrunk significantly, with multiple locations liberated by the Russian military, and Kiev has been apparently making an effort to turn the tide. 

One of the attacks occurred in early February, when Ukraine sent dozens of armored vehicles to attack villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskya Konopelka, located some 9km to the southeast of the town of Sudzha, the largest settlement seized by Kiev in Kursk Region. The attack flopped, with the Ukrainian forces which advanced in multiple columns getting under heavy artillery fire, aerial and drone strikes and sustaining heavy casualties. 

Abrams fleet dwindling

The winter season has seen a return of US-supplied M1 Abrams tanks onto the battlefield, with the vehicle fleet sustaining new casualties. Washington had delivered some 31 tanks of the type to Ukraine, with the armor seeing extensive use in propaganda materials. The tanks saw actual combat early last year, and performed rather poorly with multiple pieces destroyed.

The tanks largely disappeared from the frontline shortly after their questionable debut, reemerging during winter. The vehicles were heavily uparmored, receiving anti-drone nettings and Soviet-era reactive armor. The upgrades, however, have apparently had only a marginal effect on their performance, with roughly two thirds of Ukraine’s M1 Abrams fleet now destroyed. 

A recent video from Russia’s Kursk Region shows a tank of the type getting hit by two fiber optics-guided drones in quick succession. The first drone hit the vehicle into its rear, stopping it, while the second UAV struck the tank into one of its weakest spots - a large gap between its turret and its hull. 

Range of fiber optics drones grows 

The fiber optics cable-guided drones, first deployed en-masse by the Russian military last August amid the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk, have seen growing use lately, with the UAVs of the type now penetrating deep beyond the frontline and striking targets in the rear. 

A fresh video taken near the Donbass town of Chasov Yar shows an UAV of the type destroying a rare German-made PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer. The artillery piece was discovered concealed in a dugout some 7km away from the frontline. While several PzH 2000 had been destroyed by the Russian forces before, footage became the first high-detail kill video of such howitzers.

Rear strikes

The Russian military has continued its effort to strike Ukraine’s military rear, repeatedly hitting staging points and amassing troops. A recent video released by the Russian Defense Ministry shows a ballistic missile strike on a staging area of a Ukrainian territorial defense brigade in Sumy Region. 

Thermal drone footage shows numerous vehicles parked by an entrenchment, with the position getting hit by an Iskander-M ballistic missile. An ammo stockpile and more than 50 military vehicles ended up destroyed and damaged in the strike, according to the Russian military. 

Unconventional use of anti-tank mines

Assorted landmines have seen extensive use during the conflict, with the troops on both sides coming up with various unconventional ways to use the munitions. In recent months, numerous videos have emerged showing Russian forces using anti-tank mines as breacher charges, with assault troops throwing the modified explosives into buildings and entrenchments occupied by the Ukrainians.

A drone video taken during the battle for the DPR town of Kurakhovo shows two Russian servicemen throwing landmines into a five-story building held by the Ukrainian forces. The powerful blasts cause the building to partially collapse, burning the troops inside. 

Infrastructure attacks 

During the season, Moscow mounted multiple large-scale long-range attacks on Ukraine’s dual-use infrastructure, targeting assorted energy and industrial facilities. A major strike was conducted on Tuesday, with Ukrainian gas facilities reportedly being among the targets.

Footage circulating online purports to show multiple projectiles, likely cruise missiles, striking a natural gas production site in Ukraine’s Poltava Region. The strikes sparked a massive fire at the site, with a massive column of smoke and fire emitting from the facility. 

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