Video Shows Russia's T-90 'Breakthrough' Tank Blown Apart by Ukraine Drones

New footage appears to show the moment Ukrainian drone crews targeted and destroyed a Russian T-90 tank as fighting rages on in the east of the country.

Several Ukrainian attack drones attacked an advanced Russian tank at an unspecified point along the front line, drone specialists within Ukraine's 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade that have been at the heart of fighting in the east of the country, said in a post to messaging app Telegram on Saturday.

More than two years of war in Ukraine has spurred on lightning-fast innovations in airborne, land-based and waterborne drones. Uncrewed technology fills the skies above Ukraine, with Moscow and Kyiv battling it out to stay ahead of the other.

A kamikaze drone struck the engine of the tank, with another unit striking the top of the tank's turret and damaging part of the vehicle's guidance system, the Ukrainian fighters said. "Several friendly units tried to set fire to the tank, but it didn't work," the brigade said.

"We got tired of watching this and one of our pilots decided to show a master class, hitting clearly between the turret and the hull of the tank," it added in a statement.

A brief clip appears to show the drones attacking the T-90 before it bursts into flames at the side of a road.

Newsweek could not independently verify the footage and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry for comment via email.

Ukraine's military has previously shared videos purportedly showing the destruction of T-90 tanks using small, inexpensive explosive drones.

Russia has lauded its T-90s, particularly its T-90M, also known as "Proryv-3," or "Breakthrough" tank. The T-90M Proryv "is the world's best tank," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June 2023.

In late December 2022, Russian state media reported that the T-90M had been deployed to Ukraine for the first time.

It has a 125mm cannon "that can fire new powerful munitions" and some missiles, the state news agency reported, as well as operating at night and having enhanced communication systems with other combat vehicles.

Its armor is similar to that on Russia's T-14 Armata tank, according to Tass. Once thought to be a formidable vehicle, the T-14 has proven lackluster for Moscow and was plagued by complications and delays in development.

The T-90 is broadly comparable to the U.S.-made Abrams, which the 47th Mechanized Brigade has operated since Ukraine confirmed the tanks, donated by Washington, had started arriving in the country in September 2023.

The brigade is at least partially deployed in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, close to the city of Pokrovsk. On Sunday, Ukraine's military said fighting had been heaviest along the front line east of the city over the past day, despite Russia launching a new offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region earlier this month.

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