Russians Use Improvised Bridge-Laying Vehicle to Cross Kazennyi Torets River Near Pokrovsk

Russian forces attempted to cross the Kazennyi Torets River near Pokrovsk using an improvised bridge-laying vehicle based on the T-80BVM tank. The attempt was unsuccessful. According to Ukrainian estimates, at least 27 pieces of Russian equipment have already been lost in the river.

Footage of the repelled assault was published by the press service of the 1st Azov Corps of Ukrainian National Guard.

According to the statement, during another mechanized assault attempt toward Dobropillia, Russian forces deployed one tank, nine MT-LB armored vehicles, recovery vehicles, four armored recovery vehicles, and an improvised bridge-laying vehicle.

To improve their chances, Russian units advanced along several routes simultaneously but were destroyed.

“Twelve enemy armored vehicles destroyed today represent only part of Russian losses in the Dobropillia sector. We will later release confirmed figures for Russian losses in this sector by the end of the year. We thank all units operating in the corps’ defensive zone for their contribution to repelling the attack, particularly fighters of the separate special-purpose unit of the Lasar’s Group of the National Guard and the Unmanned Systems Forces,” the press service stated.

The 33rd Mechanized Brigade, which also took part in repelling the assault, released additional video footage. Analysts at the Tysk website concluded that the improvised bridge-laying vehicle was built on the T-80BVM tank chassis and fitted with a heavy improvised protective structure.

Half of a bridge section from the Russian TMM-3 mechanized bridge system was attached to the front of the vehicle using cables, along with additional wooden elements intended to support the movement of infantry and light vehicles.

According to analysts, the vehicle was apparently intended to establish a crossing over the Kazennyi Torets River, which has become a significant obstacle for Russian forces under constant surveillance by Ukrainian drones.

Although the river is relatively narrow, it forces vehicles to slow down and search for suitable fording points to avoid becoming bogged down in mud, making them vulnerable to Ukrainian drone strikes.

As a result, Russian forces have sought to establish more reliable crossings, including through the use of relatively scarce tank-based bridge-laying systems. However, even when crossings are partially established, Ukrainian forces rapidly target and destroy them.

According to a serviceman posting under the name ‘Kriegsforscher’ on X, Russian forces have lost a total of 27 vehicles in the river.

In one assault attempt in late October, six armored vehicles became stuck in mud while crossing and subsequently sank. They were then struck by Ukrainian artillery, FPV drones, bomber drones and HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems.