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By Brendan Cole
Senior Reporter
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A Russian tank that had been touted as a significant trophy for Kyiv following its capture at the start of the war has reportedly been destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
The T80BVM main battle tank (MBT) was given the nickname "Bunny" when it was seized by the Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade in March 2022.
These versions of the T-80 tanks, upgraded from the T-80BV tank, entered service with the Russian army as recently as 2018 and are noted for their mobility, speed and combat power.
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A year ago, CNN interviewed a former software engineer named Alex who described himself as the tank's commander. He said he was on a sniper mission when he discovered the abandoned vehicle in a field on the outskirts of Kharkiv soon after the war started.
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It was given a makeover, which included side armor, and modernized to shoot better rounds of ammunition and put into action. It could also use guided missiles. Alex said that soon after its capture, it managed to destroy 24 Russian military vehicles near Izium.
The Twitter account "Ukraine weapons tracker" said during its time in the service of Kyiv's forces, it had destroyed at least six other Russian tanks, including the only T-80UM2 tank in existence.
But on Tuesday, the account, which tracks Russian weapons losses, tweeted that Ukrainian forces had decided to destroy the vehicle in Bakhmut where a fierce months-long battle is ongoing.
The account said that the tank had become "immobilized and damaged by 240mm mortar fire" and so was "set on fire by its crew to avoid capture by Russian forces."
A Ukrainian serviceman was pictured standing on top of what the Twitter account said was the "most famous captured tank in Ukrainian service" in an image that has gone viral.
"Prior to destruction 'Bunny' was seriously damaged in combat at least once, presumably by running over anti-tank mines, but was repaired and returned back to service," Ukraine weapons tracker said in the thread, which included images of it in a depot. Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian armed forces for comment.
An influx of Western-supplied military vehicles has been arriving for use by Kyiv's forces ahead of an expected counteroffensive. These include British Challenger and German Leopard 2 tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, as well as U.S. Strykers and Cougars.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday the German government reported it would transfer a military aid package to Kyiv, which includes eight reconnaissance drones, another 23,520 rounds of 40-mm ammunition as well as eight mobile antenna systems.
Update, 04/11/23, 4 p.m. ET: This story was updated to clarify that it was the T80BVM tank, an upgrade from a T-80BV tank, that entered service in 2018, not the T-80 series.
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