Mammoth disguise: Russian UAZ‑452 delivery vehicle's unique makeover amid Ukraine conflict

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine prompts soldiers on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides to display increasing tactical creativity. These soldiers actively seek and test diverse methods to safeguard their military equipment. Among the latest modifications, pictures of which are available on social media (and also shown below), is one that strikingly resembles a hairy mammoth — an animal that went extinct thousands of years ago. This was brought to the limelight by the Military Portal, which posted images of this one-of-a-kind UAZ-452 on its Facebook page.

The "Mammoth" camouflage has manifested on the Russian delivery vehicle, the UAZ-452. This vehicle, produced by Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (UAZ), was initially designed for the Soviet army but later garnered significant popularity among civilian users. The UAZ-452 is the base model of a line of vehicles continuously produced by the Russians since 1965.

Despite its somewhat archaic design, the UAZ-452 maintains a high level of popularity. Its standing can be primarily attributed to its robust field performance, relatively low production costs, and a straightforward design that makes it less complicated to repair. Previous iterations of the UAZ-452, modified by the Russians, have been seen in Ukraine.

One such example involves a buchanka outfitted with Kontakt-1 reactive armour blocks. These blocks were intended to augment protection against RPG-7 grenade launchers, and to enhance overall ballistic protection. However, this modification incites many questions because reactive armour blocks need to be mounted on substantially strong armour capable of withstanding their explosion—an objective difficult to achieve in the buchanka's case. Thus, the block's explosion presents grave risks to the health and safety of passengers.