Russian Tanks Blow Up on Their Own Landmines, Video Shows

Footage of a Russian tank being destroyed after driving over landmines allegedly planted by Russian forces has gone viral on social media.

On July 3, the clip was posted on the Twitter account NOELREPORTS. The page provides updates on the war in Ukraine. The video has so far been viewed more than 140,000 times.

"Remember the Russian T-62 that drove itself straight into a line of anti-tank mines that they put down themselves?" the video caption read.

"I received better quality footage recorded by one of our drones 'Éomer' north of Bakhmut. Watch and enjoy."

Newsweek has not been able to verify when or where in Ukraine the footage of the tank was taken. The footage shows a tank driving down a road before it appears to drive over a landmine and explode.

The occupants of the tank are seen quickly escaping the destroyed tank and venturing out on foot. It is not clear whether this incident resulted in any deaths or serious injuries.

The four individuals, who deserted the tank, are then seen walking into the greenery by the roadside.

A lower-quality video of the incident has also been shared widely on Reddit. The Reddit user Blablish shared a clip of the incident three days ago and the footage has received over 9,000 upvotes.

A similar incident was reported earlier in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In October 2022, a Reddit post by YummyTummy on the Combat Footage page also alleged a Russian tank was destroyed after driving on mines that were placed by Russian forces.

The post had amassed over 39,000 upvotes and over 2,000 comments.

In the video, a Russian tank is seen driving off of a grassy patch of land onto a road only to explode moments later.

The aftermath footage shows the tank continuing to billow smoke while at least one survivor stands by the destroyed vehicle.

Late last month, Kyiv's military claimed that Russia has lost more than 4,000 tanks since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces wrote on Twitter on June 21 that Russia had lost a total of 4,006 tanks in total. Newsweek has been unable to independently verify this figure.

Neither Kyiv nor Moscow releases accurate casualty figures. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.