Ukraine Halts Russian River Crossing as Drones Obliterate Rare MTU-72 Bridgelayer, Video

Combat drone operators from the National Guard’s Azov 1st Corps stopped and destroyed a Russian MTU-72 armored bridgelayer in Donetsk, a key engineering asset used to move heavy vehicles across rivers, anti-tank ditches, and other obstacles, the unit announced on December 2.

The unit said the strike was carried out by its battalion of unmanned systems, which has become a critical component of Ukraine’s frontline defense.

OSINT analyst Moklasen identified the location of the strikes as the area around Popiv Yar in the Donetsk region. The Poltavka River runs through this area, with the village of Rusyn Yar—where Ukrainian forces maintain defensive positions—situated immediately beyond it.

The MTU-72 wasn’t the only target. Drone footage shows that a tank and an infantry fighting vehicle were also struck in the same sector, indicating Russia was shifting heavier equipment forward for an assault.

The MTU-72, built on a T-72 tank chassis, is designed for rapid bridge deployment under fire. The vehicle can lay a 20-meter bridge in minutes, allowing tanks, BMPs, APCs, and trucks to cross difficult terrain.

From trenches and destroyed roads to streams and ravines. Once units pass through, the bridge can be lifted and reused elsewhere.

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War in Ukraine

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Military analysts noted that taking out such a system can significantly slow Russian mobility, particularly in sectors where natural or man-made obstacles play a major role.

Rusyn Yar remains a priority for Russian forces because controlling it would open a route toward Kostyantynivka, a strategically important logistics hub further west.

The destruction of the MTU-72—a relatively scarce and valuable engineering asset—underscores the growing effectiveness of Ukrainian strike-drone units in targeting the support vehicles Russia relies on to sustain its offensives.

Earlier, Ukrainian drone operators prevented Russian forces from deploying an MTU-20 armored bridge layer near the frontline area west of Pokrovsk.

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