Forbes: Russian assault trucks from the 1950s destroyed in eastern Ukraine

Apr 11, 2025 - 15:00

forbes russian assault trucks 1950s destroyed eastern ukraine up-armored gaz-69 photos x/special kherson cat 0x0 platoon 70-year-old museum-grade wiped out during first combat ukrainian positions near bilohorivka luhansk oblast reports

A platoon of 70-year-old Russian “museum-grade” GAZ-69 trucks was wiped out during their first combat assault on Ukrainian positions near Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast, Forbes reports. The attack, which occurred on 10 April, is emblematic of Russia’s accelerating military de-mechanization.

Amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, Russian losses of purpose-built combat vehicles now exceed 20,000, with manufacturing capacity unable to produce replacements quickly enough. This equipment crisis is forcing more Russian regiments to rely on civilian vehicles, including trucks, all-terrain vehicles, and motorcycles—all of which provide minimal protection in combat environments.

Ukrainian drone operators from the Abwehr Gruppe team, part of the 81st Air Mobile Brigade, successfully intercepted the vintage vehicles at the juncture of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts in eastern Ukraine.

“No one arrived, no one reached” Ukrainian positions, the Abwehr Gruppe reported after the engagement.

Bilohorivka is located in the west of Luhansk Oblast next to Donetsk Oblast. Map: Deep State

The 1,500-kg, four-wheel-drive GAZ-69s, manufactured at Moscow’s Molotov plant between 1952 and 1972, had only recently appeared in significant numbers along the front line. Open-source intelligence analyst Moklasen had predicted such an assault on 1 April, noting,

“We are an inch away from the GAZ-69 sturm.“

These museum-grade trucks offer virtually no protection for their occupants, with some units attempting to improve survivability by welding makeshift anti-drone cages to the vehicles.

The engagement shows why Russia’s numerically superior force in eastern Ukraine, potentially exceeding half a million troops, has struggled to make significant territorial gains.

“What was once one of the world’s great mechanized armies is de-mechanizing at a rapid pace,” Forbes wrote.

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