Russian propagandists from News-Front information agency have made a sad mistake again: in the video titled “Open Doors Days in the Sparta battalion headquarters” posted on their YouTube channel, InformNapalm volunteers spotted a Russian modernized BTR-80 with a TKN-4GA-01 optical sight produced by the Rostov Optical Mechanical Plant. To clarify, this modification of the BTR-80 has not been exported to Ukraine, thus it could not have been captured from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (!). The so-called “Sparta” battalion of the Russian occupation Corp in Donetsk Oblast is headquartered in the territory of the 3rd Building of Donetsk National Technology University (DNTU). Previously, the R-381T Taran radio reconnaissance station and the modern Russian Torn electronic warfare system been spotted there.

Donetsk. Russian “Torn” and “Taran” Radio Intelligence Systems at “Sparta” base:

The visual differences between the standard and modernized versions of the BTR-80 are shown in the picture below. It is noteworthy, that the APC in the video has an old light instead of the new PL-1 laser illuminator which was there earlier, when this APC participated in the parade.

Organizers of the show tried to mislead visitors and presented this BTR as the old Soviet BTR-70.

It is worth mentioning that in October, 2016, InformNapalm volunteers discovered a similar modernized BTR-80 in the territory of the Precast Concrete Products plant  in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast.

Here is a small bonus (to annoy the News-Front propagandists): their video shows another Russian military vehicle – the Ural-4320 military truck with the YMZ-238 diesel engine (its distinctive features are an air filter mounted on a left fender and an extended engine area). Mass production of this modification of the Ural truck has started in 1994 and it has never entered service in Ukraine.

The datavase and videographics of more than 30 types of Russian weaponry and equipment in Donbas is available here [silk interactive database].

База данных и видеографика новейшего вооружения ВС РФ на Донбассе

Material prepared for publication by Mykhail Kuznetsov, translated by Evgeniy Kalashnik, edited by Svitlana Kemblowski .

(CC BY) Information specially prepared for InformNapalm.org site, an active link to the authors and our project is obligatory for any reprint or further use of the material.