A mysterious Russian vehicle resembling an Israeli namer spotted

A video has surfaced online showing a very intriguing vehicle moving around the Uralvagonzavod plant in Nizhny Tagil. This plant is responsible for, among other things, producing the T-72 and T-90 tank families.

The vehicle appears to be a heavily armored personnel carrier built on a tank chassis inspired by the Israeli Namer. This response to Russian frontline needs, where standard infantry fighting vehicles from the BMP family are too lightly protected.

Recently, standard infantry fighting vehicles have often been replaced by tanks awkwardly clad in junk, looking like "armored barns" or "tortoises." However, this improvised armor provides only some protection against FPV drones with a single cumulative warhead. Shrapnel from artillery shells or rounds fired from automatic cannons will penetrate such makeshift shields easily. The same goes for modern anti-tank weapons.

The footage shows that the Russians have built an armored superstructure for six or possibly even ten soldiers on the hull of some tank, most likely a T-72, but possibly a T-80. It can be assumed that its armor structure is similar to that of the hull or turret, so in theory, it should withstand hits from weapons capable of penetrating several inches of armor steel.

Interestingly, the superstructure ends at the back and most likely has a ramp, where the engine is usually positioned. This is a change compared to models like the BMO-T or Ladoga. The engine has most likely been moved to the front, as indicated by the less flattened front and drive wheels at the front, which are closest to the engine. In the case of T-72 tanks and others, drive wheels are located at the back.

This prototype suggests that the Russians are also drawing lessons from the war in Ukraine. However, even if the new vehicle quickly goes into production, its deliveries will still be too small to impact the frontline situation significantly.