The moment a Russian tank blows up and its turret flies 250 feet into the air
The moment a Russian tank blows up and its turret flies 250 feet into the air
- Incredible footage shows one of Putin’s tanks explodes its top after Ukrainian attack
- Huge tower remains intact but soars into the sky over the road outside Mariupol
- Blast engulfs the entire tank and surrounding area; clip made by Chinese state television
- The reporter’s car needed an emergency brake to avoid damage, journalist added
- Appears to be a ‘jack in the box effect’ that makes Russian tanks ‘mobile coffins’
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This is the daring moment when a Russian tank is destroyed just outside Mariupol, with its turret shooting hundreds of meters into the air.
Amazing video taken by the Chinese state television channel Phoenix shows the sudden explosion in eastern Ukraine that instantly wiped out the Russian tank.
It’s not clear what kind of weapon was used to detonate the immense explosion, but it must have been hefty to cause such an explosion.
Curiously, the tank’s turret remained perfectly intact as it flew 76 meters into the air over the busy road to war-torn Mariupol, southeastern Ukraine.
The Chinese journalist who captured the footage said her driver had to hit the brakes to avert the blast.
Phoenix TV wrote: ‘Reporter Lu Yuguang escaped death during interview in Eastern Ukraine’ [as] the driver needed emergency braking to avoid danger.’
It added: “Phoenix Satellite TV dispatched a frontline interview team from eastern Ukraine to go to the Mariupol Azov Steel Plant on May 6 to discuss the evacuation of civilians by the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian Military Organization to discuss. †
The huge explosion took place just outside Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine: Phoenix TV
The reporter’s car had to hit the brakes, the Chinese outlet said, to avoid a disaster
Footage of the attack appears to be the latest sign of what defense experts have called the “jack in the box” effect in Russian tanks.
A fatal design flaw dating back to the Gulf War leaves Putin’s maligned weapons of war little more than “mobile coffins.”
Sam Bendett, a Russian Studies Program adviser at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN, “What we’re seeing with Russian tanks is a design flaw.
A fatal design flaw in Russian tanks dating back to the Gulf War has made them ‘sitting ducks’ for Ukrainian attacks, shooting the turret two stories into the air, defense experts say.
“Any successful hit…quickly detonates the ammunition causing a massive explosion, literally blowing the turret away.”
Western armies have learned from the mistake and their tanks have now compartmentalised ammunition.
Steven Zaloga, an expert on Russian and Soviet armor, told military site Task & Purpose: ‘When you see footage of a hit followed by the ammunition fire, it usually happens that one propellant goes off — or one or two — from a penetration.
“The explosion of the first propellant case tends to trigger more.
“And so what you often see is a sequence where a propellant shell or a few propellant shells go off and then the storage space in the autoloader goes up, basically like a series of fireworks.”
Smoke rises amid ruins of Mariupol’s Azovstal steel mill, under siege for weeks
Finnish leaders say country must apply to join NATO ‘without delay’
The Finnish president and prime minister have said the country must apply to join NATO within days, dramatically escalating tensions between Russia and the West.
President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin today issued a joint statement saying they will join the security alliance “without delay”, despite the Kremlin’s threats that it would “complete the destruction” of the country and “the most undesirable consequences” would insure.
The decision is a spectacular setback for Putin, who invaded Ukraine partly out of fear of NATO expansion, with the Western Pact’s presence at Russia’s borders now doubling from 754 miles to 1,584 miles.
A special committee will announce Finland’s decision on a membership offer on Sunday, though it could take until October before the country is formally admitted to the pact.
When asked what he would say to Russia, Niinisto replied, “You caused this. Look in the mirror.’
Sweden is expected to follow Finland’s lead with its own bid that could come next week, with a parliament debate on Monday, followed by a special cabinet meeting where the formal decision to apply will be made, the Daily Expressen said.
The major policy change that will completely rewrite Europe’s alignment after World War II comes a day after Boris Johnson signed security pacts with Helsinki and Stockholm, promising Britain would come to their aid if they came under Russian attack.
In their statement today, Niinisto and Marin said: ‘Now that the moment of decision-making is near, we are giving our equal views, also for information to the political groups and parties.
NATO membership would strengthen Finland’s security. As a member of NATO, Finland would strengthen the entire defense alliance.
‘Finland must apply for NATO membership without delay.
“We hope that the national steps that are still necessary to make this decision will be taken quickly in the coming days.”
Finland, which shares an 830-mile border and has a troubled past with Russia, has previously remained outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to maintain friendly relations with its eastern neighbour.
Sweden is expected to soon follow Finland with an application to join the Western Military Pact.
The Scandinavian countries are confused by Moscow’s war against its pro-Western neighbor, which has bolstered domestic support for alliance entry — and the security that membership would provide.
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Source: New feed