Two Russian APCs Hit Landmines in Rare Simultaneous Explosions: Video

Two Russian armored personnel carriers (APCs) were simultaneously blown up after hitting landmines, new footage appears to show.

The clip was posted on X, formerly Twitter, by open-source intelligence account OSINTtechnical, which said a pair of advancing Russian BTR-80s simultaneously ran into mines in the village of Stepove, in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

"Stepove, a pair of advancing Russian BTR-80s simultaneously run into a pair of Ukrainian mines," the account said.

Stepove is located near the embattled fortress town of Avdiivka, from which Ukrainian forces withdrew earlier this month. Dmytro Lykhovii, spokesperson for Ukraine's Tavria operational strategic group, said during a Ukrainian television broadcast on Tuesday that Kyiv's forces had also pulled back from the villages of Stepove and Severne.

Casualty numbers and equipment losses have been high for both Ukraine and Russia, especially around Avdiivka—a key focus for Moscow since October—where the battle earned the label of "meat grinder." The term describes the prolonged battles that occurred and racked up high casualty counts and absorbed significant resources.

The aerial footage, shot with a drone, shows two APCs advancing across barren land before simultaneously driving over landmines, causing huge explosions and leaving smoke trails in the air.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify when or when the footage was filmed, and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.

Kyiv's military said in an update on Wednesday that Moscow has so far lost 12,508 APCs since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The figures were provided by the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, which posts estimates of Russia's troop and equipment losses daily. Its latest update said Russia lost 1,060 soldiers over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 412,610.

Russia has also lost a total of 10,029 artillery systems, 6,570 tanks as well as 342 military jets in the ongoing war, Kyiv said. Newsweek couldn't independently verify Ukraine's figures and contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment.

Estimates of casualty numbers vary, with Ukraine's figures usually exceeding those of its Western allies. Moscow rarely shares information on the number of casualties it has sustained in the war. In September 2022, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said 5,937 troops had been killed since the war began.

Kyiv, like Moscow, does not provide updated information on its war casualties. A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment leaked in April 2023 said that Ukraine had suffered 124,500 to 131,000 casualties, including 15,500 to 17,500 dead.

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