Kharkiv remains contested with light Russian units attempting to penetrate into the city but so far, they continue to be repulsed. On February 28, the Russians again sought to push into the northeastern suburbs, subjecting the area with rocket fire which claimed 1 civilian dead, 16 civilians wounded, and 15 soldiers wounded. Once more, they were forced to withdraw. This daily tally is via the Kharkiv city council. The total dead in the last 3-4 days of combat is 2 civilians killed, 5 soldiers killed, 20 soldiers wounded, and 24 civilians wounded. It would appear that, to date, the Russians have not deployed heavier armor and tanks to support the infantry as they attempt to push into the city. Instead, they are using GAZ-233014 “Tigr” 4X4 armored IMVs (Infantry Mobility Vehicles) and the burned out example shown here was destroyed somewhere in the suburbs of Kharhiv.
The Tigr entered Russian service in 2005 and has a crew of 2 and can carry between 9 to 11 infantrymen model depending. The 7.9 ton vehicle is fitted with a 5.9 liter, 6-cylinder, 180 horsepower engine paired to, most often, a 5-speed manual transmission. This provides the Tigr with a maximum road speed of 87 miles per hour and a top off-road speed of 50 miles per hour (terrain depending). Enough fuel is carried to give the Tigr a 620 mile operational range. For armor, the thickness ranges from 5mm to a maximum of 7mm. While this is proof against small caliber weapon fire, it is worthless against heavier weapons, let alone anti-armor missiles or rockets. For example, the 12.7X108mm DShK heavy machine gun used by Ukraine can punch through 20mm of armor up to 500 meters. Even the common RPK machine-gun, chambered for the 7.62X39mm round, can fire a standard armor-piercing ammunition that can penetrate 6mm of armor at 300 meters while another armor-piercing round, the 7N23, uses a steel penetrator to further increase the round's ability to punch through armor. For defense, it is fitted with smoke grenade launchers and has a pintle mount for either a 7.62mm PKP machine-gun, a 12.7mm Kord heavy machine-gun, or a 30mm AGS-17 grenade launcher.
The latter is what is being recovered from the wreckage, no doubt to be checked out if it can be returned to service. The Plamya (“Flame”) is an old weapon, entering service in 1970 but has yet to be fully replaced by the lighter AGS-30 Atlant. The weapon is fed by a belt that holds twenty-nine 30X29mm grenades. The belt is contained in a drum fitted to the right side of the weapon. The Plamya can fire High-Explosive (HE), smoke, or practice rounds. Sighting is done using iron posts with the option for optical sights. The weapon has a low muzzle velocity of 606 feet per second, enough to provide a maximum effective range of 1,700 meters. The maximum rate of fire is 400 rounds per minute. It would appear that before the Tigr was hit, the gunner fired off at least four grenades judging by the empty belt hanging out of the feed. The fire was enough to burn off much of the Tigr's paint and burst the bullet proof glass. The Plamya itself seems no worse for the wear, the fire apparently not having discharged the remaining grenades in the drum magazine and a likely reason these soldiers are recovering it.
Attempting to get current unit patch identification is pretty difficult and it is highly likely such information on existing unit insignia is purposely suppressed so as not to provide intelligence to the Russians. However, these are men of the 113th. Territorial Defense Brigade. Of note, the soldier in the foreground has a well-worn AKMS, the most numerous folding stock version of the AK-47. It can be told apart from the earlier AKS-47 by the two ridges on the receiver cover (as the AKS-47 had a smooth cover). Also note that he has tied off his medical pouch to his tactical vest with cord. Snaps can come loose on gear and this prevents it from being lost.
Originally posted on February 28, 2022.
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