Ukrainian forces outsmart Russian T‑72B3 tanks with simple grenades

The T-72B3 tank is a cornerstone of Russian armoured warfare. Though it is viewed as a successful upgrade of the old T-72, its quality has deteriorated. A video circulating on social media shows the Ukrainian army boasting about destroying this tank with just one grenade.

The Ukrainians managed to destroy another T-72B3, one of the better tanks the Russians have in Ukraine. This time lost in a battle to a drone equipped with a grenade.

Before the war in Ukraine, Russian authorities were keen on boasting about their new tanks, showcasing designs such as the T-14 Armata or T-90M. They were less eager to display the T-72B3 tank, an upgrade of the old T-72.

Meanwhile, this equipment bore the brunt of the fighting in Ukraine—the T-72B3 was the most numerous tank in Russian armoured units before the beginning of the war. In 2022, a new, upgraded version of this tank appeared. The Ukrainian army managed to destroy such equipment in recent days.

The T-72B3 tank results from an economical upgrade of T-72B tanks. This upgrade included, among others, improving optoelectronics, implementing a more precise 2A45M-5 cannon, and adjusting the loading mechanism for new anti-tank ammunition with a longer penetrator from the Świeniec family. Additionally, smaller changes were made, like an electrical turret rotation system.

Despite these changes, most of the tank's elements remained unchanged. Only the old reactive armour Kontakt-1 was replaced with a slightly less outdated Kontakt-5 in machines from earlier production series. As a result, a machine was obtained that, for relatively small means, can offer firepower close to newer T-90Ms but at the cost of outdated protection.