A Russian tanker captured a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after being blown up by a mine.

The mechanic-driver of the T-80 tank, junior Sergeant Maxim Grigoriev, during a combat mission in the village of Skudnoye in the area of a special military operation (SVO), was forced to leave the car due to its detonation on a mine and was captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). However, the Russian soldier managed not only to return to his own, but also to capture the enemy.

"To survive and win, you need to keep moving"

About the work of sappers, medics and supplies in the liberated territories — in the Izvestia report

Grigoriev told Izvestia that after hitting a mine, the tank lost a caterpillar, so the crew was forced to quickly leave the immobilized vehicle, taking refuge in the nearest landing. But Ukrainian drones started chasing them.

The commander and the gunner left in the direction of the settlement to hide in the ruins before dusk, Grigoriev went under the cover of trees along the highway. There he saw a ruined building and chose it as a temporary shelter.

"The Ukrainian observer was lying in these ruins. Of course, he heard me and was waiting for me. I came straight into his arms and immediately found myself at gunpoint," said the driver.

The observer, junior sergeant of the 141st Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Nikolay Moskalenko, contacted his superiors to clarify what he should do with the Russian prisoner of war. And he received a veiled order to kill Grigoriev. The Ukrainian serviceman did not immediately understand the instructions of his superiors, but the Russian driver understood everything at once. A small hitch was enough for Grigoriev to start acting.

"I have a thought in my head: 'What am I standing and waiting for?!' I picked up a piece of concrete from the ground, threw it in his face and, while he was dodging, rushed towards him. There were about six meters there. Due to this throw, I got close to him and fought hand—to-hand," the Russian serviceman explained.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

A soldier with luck: how a Russian tanker managed to capture the enemy after being blown up by a mine