A Ukrainian officer’s captured Putin tank breaks down, so he “calls Russian technical support…who actually offer to help”
- Ukraine has so far captured around 200 Russian T-72B3 tanks
- One operator, “Kochevnik,” cheekily called the Russian manufacturer for support
- He claims to have contacted a company manager for technical support
A Ukrainian military officer claims he managed to get Russia to provide technical support for an abandoned tank captured by Putin’s forces.
A Ukrainian tank commander with the call sign “Kochevnik” was having problems with his captured Russian T-72B3 and cheekily decided to call the manufacturer’s hotline.
To his surprise, someone from Uralvagonzavod, the tank’s manufacturer, was picked up and began giving him advice and support over the phone, he claims.
The official, who posted a video of his call on social media, said the Russian-made tank had several major problems.
He told the Russian mechanic over the phone that the tank was spewing oil, its compressors weren’t working, and the turret rotation mechanism kept failing, forcing his crew to turn it with a hand crank.
“Kochevnik” had problems with his captured Russian T-72B3 and cheekily decided to call the manufacturer’s hotline
Ukraine has so far captured around 200 Russian T-72B3 tanks
The Russian, who identified himself as Aleksander Anatolyevich, apparently did not know that Kochevnik was a Ukrainian soldier and promised to provide his feedback to the tank’s designers.
Amazingly, he then apparently managed to reach a director of the company named Andrey Abakumov.
The director asked the Ukrainian officer for more details in a WhatsApp message before Kochevnik revealed that he was part of the Ukrainian army that captured the tank late last year.
He chuckled as he ended the conversation with the director of the Russian company.
Ukraine has so far captured around 200 Russian T-72B3 tanks, a newer model with which the Ukrainian military has little experience.
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian military led a parade of captured and destroyed Russian tanks through the streets of Kiev ahead of the country’s second wartime Independence Day.
Ukrainians walked along Kreshchatyk Street in the heart of the capital, staring at the charred shells of armored fighting vehicles and other hardware arranged in a long line like a military parade of the dead.
Residents in central Kiev said they enjoyed displaying the destroyed Russian hardware and hoped it would boost Ukrainians’ fighting spirit.