Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian soldiers have captured several Russian tanks. Now a Ukrainian officer was having fun with it.
A Ukrainian officer called technical support in Russia. He had questions about the operation of a Russian T-72B3 tank that the Ukrainian army had previously captured from the Russians. The Russian on the other end of the line helped him, reports Forbes magazine.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the Ukrainian army has successfully seized around 200 of the Russian T-72B3 tanks. The class is a new model from the Russian defense company Uralvagonzavod. The Ukrainians therefore lack experience with this type of tank.
Russian tech support helps the Ukrainian
When a Ukrainian officer – code name “Kochevnik” – was confronted with the problems of the T-72B3 tank, he called the technical support of the Russian defense company. The incredible thing: They helped him. The Ukrainian military captured the call on video and then uploaded it to YouTube.
Kochevnik serves in the 54th mechanized brigade. He operates together with his unit mainly in the Kramatorsk region, in the east of Ukraine. The unit’s equipment is mostly outdated.
Is the problem bigger than expected?
Although the officer enjoyed fooling the Russian defense company, his problems with the tank were real. The tank was leaking oil and the compressor didn’t work. In addition, the electronic rotation of the gun caused problems. All of this even suggests inconsistent processing in the Uralvagonzavods factory, reports Forbes.
A Russian employee of the technical support service apparently did not know that he was talking to the Ukrainian Kochevnik. He even promised to pass on the problems to the Uralvagonzavod design bureau and the engine manufacturer.
But Kochevnik wasn’t finished having fun. He also reached Andrey Abakumov, a director of the Russian defense company. Abakumov asked Kochevnik to describe the tank’s problems in detail on WhatsApp. At this point, Kochevnik identified himself as a Ukrainian and explained that the tank was now in the possession of the Ukrainian army. He ended the phone call with a laugh.
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