Old Yugoslavian armored carriers join Ukraine's fight

The Washington Post published the pictures in an article describing Ukraine's current situation in the war with Russia. Analysts from Defense Express note that the conclusions are not optimistic. The photographs of Yugoslavian BOV armored personnel carriers "express more than a thousand words and show the difficulties faced by Ukrainian defenders."

Although Ukraine can count on substantial support from the West and has received much modern equipment, soldiers are often forced to use much older weaponry. Many pieces of Soviet-era equipment were stored in Ukrainian warehouses, and some European partners of Ukraine are also sending older equipment to the front lines. Part of its arsenal includes weapons from the now-defunct Yugoslavia, where armored personnel carriers like the BOV were produced years ago.

These vehicles are equipped with Deutz F6L413 engines, providing just under 150 horsepower and reaching speeds of about 60 mph. Inside, there is space for 10 people, including two crew members. The primary armament of the BOV armored personnel carriers is the PKT machine gun with a caliber of 7.62 mm, and smoke grenade launchers have also been installed.

The Ukrainians modified these units by installing nets to increase protection against kamikaze drones, which are used extensively by the Russians. Similar constructions are mounted on other military vehicles by both Ukrainians and Russians. Nevertheless, the level of safety provided to the crew and passengers is not high.

Analysts from Defense Express emphasize that BOV armored personnel carriers have not been produced for a long time and are rare even in the Balkan countries. An unspecified number of these vehicles were secretly delivered to Ukraine by Slovenia (information about it appeared only after the delivery). However, it is uncertain whether the units in the recent photos from eastern Ukraine indeed originate from those resources.