Russia has reportedly deployed a number of fearsome armored vehicles dubbed “Terminators” on the frontlines of the Ukraine war.
The tank support combat vehicles – or BMPTs – were seen in a series of videos in Donbass, Ukraine’s eastern region that has become the main battlefield of the war, the Times of London said.
“Thank you God! We have Terminators!” Pro-Kremlin war reporter Aleksandr Sladkov wrote alongside one of the clips he shared to Telegram, calling their arrival “progress” for the delayed invasion.
Equipped with four anti-tank rocket launchers, two 30mm cannons, two grenade launchers and a machine gun, the ‘Terminator’, first used by Russian forces in Syria, has a top speed of 60km/h, the UK Times noted.
They are used to thwart the attacks of enemy helicopters, drones or other low-flying aircraft and are fitted with explosive reactive armor to limit damage if hit, the British outlet noted.
The “Terminator” tank is equipped with four anti-tank missile launchers. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Ukraine claims to have killed more than 28,500 Russian soldiers. AFP via Getty Images
A Ukrainian man escapes amidst mortar shell blasts. AFP via Getty Images
Russian state media confirmed the operation and the nickname, which is thought to have been inspired by the 1984 film in which Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a cyborg assassin.
“Along with armored trains, BMPTs [nicknamed ‘Terminator’] are involved in the fire demolition of Ukrainian positions, armored vehicles and crews of anti-tank missile systems,” a military source told state news agency Ria Novosti, according to The Independent.
Their deployment comes after Russia suffered devastating casualties during its invasion that Western intelligence agencies have long suspected had dramatically failed in their original intentions.
“Terminator” tanks have a top speed of 37 miles per hour. Host a photo agency through Getty Images
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the war in Ukraine was not going as Russia had planned. AFP via Getty Images
As of Thursday, Ukraine claimed to have this killed more than 28,500 soldierswhile at the same time more than 1,250 tanks and more than 3,000 armored personnel carriers were destroyed.
At a recent meeting of NATO foreign ministers, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “Russia’s war in Ukraine is not proceeding as Moscow had planned” and appears to have “stalled”.