Rare Ukrainian armored vehicle destroyed by Russian anti-tank missile

In a video posted on Twitter on March 17, images of a rare Ukrainian YPR-765 armored personnel carrier being destroyed were recorded in the Robotyne area of the Zaporizhia region.

Rare Ukrainian armored vehicle destroyed by Russian anti-tank missile (Video: Twitter).

According to some sources, the armored vehicle was shot down by a Russian anti-tank missile while moving in the conflict zone in southern Ukraine.

The YPR-765 is a Dutch-developed variant of the famous US-made M113 armored personnel carrier. This armored vehicle was introduced in 1975 and only about 500 were produced. All YPR-765 armored vehicles were decommissioned by the Dutch army and put into storage in 2012. In mid-2022, some of the remaining YPR-765 armored vehicles were transferred by Amsterdam to Kiev. However, the number of YPR-765s donated was small, so their presence was less noted than other armored vehicles in Ukraine.

Although developed based on the M113, the YPR-765 also has some differences. The hull is made of welded aluminum to increase mobility. In addition, steel armor bars are bolted to the sides and front at intervals to increase the vehicle's strength and fire resistance.

With a crew of three, the YPR-765 can carry seven fully armed soldiers. Powered by a Detroit Diesel Allison 6V-53T engine with 267 horsepower, the vehicle can travel nearly 500km at a maximum speed of 61km/h.

Depending on the version, the YPR-765 armored vehicle can be equipped with a 30mm automatic turret and a 30mm heavy machine gun. In addition, the thick armor also helps the armored vehicle withstand enemy light fire.

Recently, rare armored vehicles donated by the West to the Ukrainian army have been seized or destroyed by Russia.

Xe bọc thép hiếm gặp của Ukraine bị tên lửa chống tăng Nga phá hủy - 1 — A captured Ukrainian army Panthera T6 armored vehicle in Bakhmut (Photo: Topwar).

In early March, the Wagner private military force captured a Ukrainian Panthera T6 armored vehicle in Bakhmut, which was reportedly abandoned after breaking down while retreating from the Bakhmut flashpoint in eastern Ukraine.

A military vehicle manufactured by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Panthera was introduced in 2017 as an all-terrain armored personnel carrier for the Gulf nation's army. The new Panthera T6 armored vehicle was donated by the UAE to Ukraine in December 2022. Therefore, this is still a rare military vehicle in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

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