The Ukrainian Marines’ T-80 Tanks Led The the Mokri Yaly River Attack

When a combined force of Ukrainian marines, air-assault troops, mechanized troops and territorials thundered south from Velyka Novosilka in southern Donetsk Oblast starting three weeks ago, the marines’ T-80 tanks led the way.

The tanks anchored columns of motorized infantry conducting swift, violent assaults along the road threading south parallel to the Mokri Yaly River. When Russian troops fell back to secondary fighting positions, Ukrainian commanders sent the tanks to flush them out.

The three-person T-80s and their supporting infantry fought through mines, artillery barrages and point-blank rocket fire. “It took a lot of character from our infantry and tank crews to come that close to enemy positions,” a tanker with the nickname “Odesa” told Radio Free Europe.

The results speak for themselves. In a little more than two weeks of hard fighting, the Ukrainian force has liberated three settlements along the Mokri Yaly River, pausing just short of the high ground south of Makarivka, atop which the Russians have prepared dense fortifications.

Odesa rides in one of the T-80BVs belonging to the 35th Marine Brigade. It’s unclear how many tanks the brigade has. Traditionally, Ukrainian air-assault and marine brigades include just a single tank company, usually equipped with 10 or a dozen gas-turbine-powered T-80BVs that are faster than diesel-powered tanks are and can drink a wider variety of fuels.

The 35th Marine Brigade’s T-80BVs are the latest Mod. 2018 variants, making them the best turbine tanks in the Ukrainian inventory—for now. This fall Kyiv is getting an initial batch of 31 turbine-powered M-1A1 tanks from the United States. A 70-ton M-1s is much better-protected than a 42-ton T-80 is.

The Mod. 2018 program adds to the baseline T-80BV new thermal optics, satellite navigation and the latest Nozh reactive armor. The Malyshev Factory in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, had upgraded around 90 of Ukraine’s roughly 350 active and stored T-80s by the time Russian widened its war on Ukraine 16 months ago.

It’s unclear how many more T-80BV Mod. 2018s the factory has completed since then. There’s no shortage of hulls. Ukraine has written off more than 40 T-80s, but has captured from Russia around 150 of the 1980s-vintage tanks—more than making good its own losses.

The Mod. 2018’s new reactive armor is particularly beneficial in a close fight. The blocks of armor explode outward when struck by incoming rockets or shells, potentially deflecting the fire.

Footage the 35th Marine Brigade provided to Radio Free Europe depicts Russian infantry firing rocket-propelled grenades at the T-80s at extremely close range. At least one RPG struck its target, but only lightly damaged the tank. A marine IMR-2 engineering vehicle recovered the T-80 so the brigade’s maintainers could repair it.

Today the 35th Marine Brigade and its adjacent units, including the 25th Air Assault Brigade and the battle-hardened 93rd Mechanized Brigade, are in and around Makarivka, likely probing for some way through or around Russian defenses on the high ground.

The Ukrainian attack soon should resume. Look for those upgraded T-80s to lead the way.