Militants of the Russian hybrid army in the Donbas posted a video, showing a live deployment of fuel air explosive mine sweeping system UR-83P against the Ukrainian defenders in reckless neglect of the lives of civilians. A single charge of UR-83 contains 1,500 kg of TNT, it is designed to provide an elongated blast area. The system is also colloquially known as “Zmey Gorynych”, a fire-spewing dragon from the Slavic folk tales. InformNapalm investigators have repeatedly written about sightings and locations of such mine-sweeping systems, which were used by Russian troops in assault role in Chechnya and more recently in the storming of the Donetsk airport in the Donbas. 

A video of the recent use of UR-83P was posted by one of the occupiers who made the footage with a mobile phone, the press service of the 24th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports.

The video shows a rocket launched from the side of militants, then the charge dropping in the middle of the built-up area followed a powerful explosion with a visible shock wave. The effect of detonation of the UR-83P charge is equivalent to the use of a one-ton aerial bomb. 

“The video confirms that the hybrid Russian-terrorist troops are shooting right from the residential streets of the village of Oleksandrivka, hoping that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would yield to the provocation and return fire, which will enable them to continue spreading their propaganda. We record the facts of a intentional destruction of civilian buildings by the militants on the temporarily occupied territories. The video and other materials about this incident have been handed over to the JCCC”, — said the representative of the 24 Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The launch video was apparently shot in late June. On June 29, 2019, a report appeared on the page of the 24th Brigade showing parts of the recovered booster engine from this system.

“In order for the charge to fly further, the terrorists did not attach the standard brake cables which allow for correct localization of the explosion zone; thus they showed complete disregard to the presence of the local civilian population that is behind the positions of the military”, — noted the Brigade press service.

Approximate coordinates of the event were reported by the Twitter user Necro Mancer: 47°55’44.0″N 37°33’02.0″E.

InformNapalm volunteers have repeatedly recorded another modification of this system, namely the UR-77, and wrote about it being located at 11 Bauman str. in the city of Donetsk. Read more in the article: Dangerous objects: the base of an army engineering unit of Russian invaders in Donetsk

At the end of October 2016, volunteer aerial reconnaissance handed over to InformNapalm international intelligence community images of a large build-up of weapons and equipment of the Russian occupation forces in Donbas. We could identify on them two UR-77 Meteorite mine-sweeping systems that are in service with the Russian Army.

Additional photographic evidence of the UR-77 and the UR-83P spotted in Donbas can be found in this blog.

In addition to their primary task of mine clearance, UR-77 could be used for destruction of manpower in the ruins of the fortified buildings. Such use of these machines by the Russian Army was documented in the Second Chechen campaign, and at the storming of the Donetsk airport in the Donbas. UR-77 were also used in Syria in Jobar district of Damascus. Ironically, the use of the UR-77 in the Second Chechen War incurred losses for the Russian army. So, on February 25, 1995, the Russians mistakenly struck their own forces with a UR-77 charge killing 28 military men.

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