The crew of a Russian Armed Forces tank made a diversionary maneuver during the battle for an AFU stronghold

The crew of a Russian tank in the zone of the special military operation (SMO) carried out a combat mission to make a passage in mine and explosive barriers equipped by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on the approaches to a stronghold. The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday, January 12, reported the exploits of the Russian army servicemen.

The tank crew consisted of gunner-operator gunner Sergeant Yevgeny Zakharov and senior mechanic-driver Sergeant Mikhail Kanashin. The AFU noticed the approach of the Russian equipment and concentrated fire on the tank. Kanashin started maneuvering to get out from under enemy fire. At the same time, the tank was attacked by Ukrainian FPV drones.

The Ukrainian servicemen were fully concentrated on confronting the Russian tank and did not notice how a group of Russian attack drones were approaching them from the flank. The Russian Armed Forces attacked the enemy stronghold unexpectedly, taking advantage of the surprise effect, and the enemy did not have time to redistribute their forces. Russian attack aircraft managed to break through the defense and penetrated the AFU stronghold, eliminating the enemy's manpower.

The diversionary maneuver by Zakharov and Kanashin was successful, the Russian Armed Forces were able to occupy a strategically important stronghold, and the passage laid in the enemy mine barriers ensured the timely delivery of necessary food and shells to the destination point.

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Earlier, on January 11, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Private Alexei Panarin detected a sabotage group of the AFU and confronted the enemy as part of the lead patrol, as a result eliminating the enemy machine gun crew.

Prior to that, on January 10, the Russian Defense Ministry told how junior sergeant Bimba Budazhapov carried out the task of delivering logistical equipment to Russian servicemen and escaped from under AFU artillery fire.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the start of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was made against the backdrop of the worsening situation in the region.

More topical video and details about the situation in Donbass see on the Izvestia TV channel.