Russian forces use sunk BTR-Ds to create river crossings in Kursk

Defense Express provides an analysis of Russia’s use of armored vehicles.

During the fighting in the Kursk region, Russian forces took an unconventional approach by sinking two of their BTR-D armored vehicles to create pedestrian crossings over small local rivers. They placed wooden pallets on top of the armored vehicles to facilitate the movement of infantry, resulting in an unusual construction.

These images have already circulated on social media, and it's striking how impractically Russian forces used their armored vehicles, which are typically seen as invaluable assets, the outlet highlights.

"For example, if we refer to the famous 'women will bear more children,' the original point was that Russian military leaders tend to prioritize saving equipment, as it is a scarce resource, unlike manpower," says the outlet.

According to The Military Balance 2024, the Russian airborne forces had 550 BTR-D units at the start of last year.

These Soviet-made armored vehicles are designed to swim across water obstacles at a speed of 10 km/h, so they could have been used in their standard mode to cross rivers. “However, if these vehicles were damaged and then repurposed for crossings, it still seems impractical. Broken vehicles could, in theory, be scavenged for parts to repair functional equipment,” Defense Express points out.

It’s also possible that Russian paratroopers tried to cross the rivers with their BTR-Ds, got the vehicles stuck, and, instead of extracting them, decided to leave them in place and create pedestrian crossings.

“If this theory holds, it still suggests that the Russians are not carefully considering the rational use of their armored vehicles during assaults on the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Consequently, they are now resorting to using even the GAZ-66 as makeshift assault vehicles,” the outlet concludes.