Avdiivka Drone Video Shows Ukraine's M2 Bradleys Take Out Russian T-90 Tank

Dramatic battleground footage purportedly shows a confrontation between Ukrainian troops in a U.S.-supplied M2 Bradley infantry vehicle (IFV) and an advanced Russian T-90M main battle tank.

The drone footage has gone viral of the close-range confrontation between Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade and the Russian tank near Stepove north of Avdiivka. This is in the Donetsk oblast where Russia launched an offensive in October.

The Bradley armored vehicles were part of a military package for Ukraine announced in 2023 by the Biden administration. The Bradley has a powerful 25 mm cannon, with manufacturer BAE Systems touting its "outstanding survivability, mobility and lethality."

The Telegram channel War Archive said that the incident took place on Thursday and, as of Saturday morning, the video, which has not been independently verified, had been viewed 780,000 times. Newsweek contacted the Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday for comment.

Russian media have dubbed the T-90M, also known as the Proryv-3, as the "most advanced armored vehicle" of its tanks. It has a more powerful engine, an upgraded turret and enhanced survivability to the T-72 tanks used by both sides.

A sped-up version of the footage posted by pro-Ukrainian X, formerly Twitter, account Special Kherson Cat shows the Bradley in the foreground advancing and retreating while shooting at the Russian tank, which is in the middle of a village.

"At the end of the video it's visible that tank most likely received significant damage as the crew cannot control the turret rotation," added the post.

Bradleys are making a significant difference for Ukrainian forces on the battlefield. As the Ukrainian commander with the call sign Kach prevously told Newsweek, Russian soldiers are "afraid" to launch operations if they know they face a Bradley.

Ukraine's Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi told Reuters that his forces needed more attack aircraft, including jets to support infantry and planes to fire long-range missiles. He added that U.S.-made A-10 fighter jets and attack helicopters such as the Apache could make a difference.

Ukraine has pushed its allies to provide F-16s and other advanced aircraft. Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Belgium have agreed to supply their own F-16s, although they have not arrived yet.

Overnight on Friday, Russia carried out a mass attack against regions using weapons including hypersonic missiles, across the country. Explosions were reported in Chernihiv Oblast and missiles downed in Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, according to local authorities and the Ukrainian air force. Newsweek has yet to verify these reports.

On Friday, Russian forces shelled Sumy oblast 260 times, firing at 12 communities, the regional Military Administration reported.

Meanwhile, Russian troops had made marginal advances northeast of Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast, and also in Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, according to the U.S.-based independent think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).