“Blyatmobil.” The Russian invention caught on. He revealed Ukraine’s weakness

More and more videos are appearing on the Internet depicting a Russian tank covered with protective iron plates, also nicknamed the “battle barn” or “turtle tank”. It came to be nicknamed the “blyatmobile”, with “blyat” being a Russian slang word.

According to some users of the social network X, who share videos or photos of the tank, the “blyatmobile” is the reason why Russia occupied four cities in the last week. “Blyatmobile is another game changer,” writes one user.

Western media also mention this Russian tank. They are said to be old T-72 tanks with drone-proof armor. In recent weeks, they have been found in the Donetsk region, and their construction is gradually being improved. In addition to the protective shell, the tanks also have anti-drone defense provided by radio jammers.

“Blyatmobile – Russian innovation against Ukrainian drone attacks,” another user on X describes this type of tank.

The jammers are used to block the radio signals of drones that can carry explosives and attack armored vehicles. These measures are a response by Russian forces to attacks by Ukrainian drones that regularly fly over Russian positions. Tortoise tanks, which are supposed to protect Russian vehicles, have serious shortcomings, such as mobility problems and gaps between the tank and the armor that allow penetration by drones. However, adding jammers is not a guaranteed solution, as many of them are of low quality and may not block signals effectively.

Dylan Motin, a PhD student in political science from Kangwon University, who deals with the international relations of Russia and China, about which he also wrote one of his books, points out, however, that the “blyatmobiles” do show some success and their deployment is becoming a standard for hard attacks.

“Expect to see them every time the Russians need to cross open terrain to escort infantry,” warns Motin.

A military analyst and historian using an account on X with the nickname Big Serge points out that these funny-looking Russian tanks are a logical response to Ukraine’s heavy reliance on drones. “Ukraine has shortages of conventional anti-tank assets of varying degrees of severity, including ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) and howitzer shells. In response, it bet on FPV drones,” he explains. Drones are readily available and can be manufactured distributedly at low cost. “This means that AFU can try to saturate the FPV battlespace, but not much more. Russian forces face a narrowing spectrum of threats,” writes the analyst.

In such an environment, in his opinion, it makes sense “to add a bunch of jammers to a huge mobile shed”. “Blyatmobil acts as a kind of mortar for drones – an ugly but effective answer to the growing asymmetry in the capabilities of the armed forces of Ukraine,” adds military analyst Big Serge.

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Ukraine (War in Ukraine)

Reports from the battlefield are difficult to verify in real time, regardless of whether they come from any side of the conflict. Both warring parties, for understandable reasons, may release completely or partially false (misleading) information.

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author: Alena Kratochvílova