Yugoslavian armoured carriers bolster Ukrainian defense efforts

The Washington Post published the pictures in an article describing Ukraine's current situation in the war with Russia. Analysts from Defense Express noted that the conclusions are not optimistic, and the photographs of Yugoslavian BOV armoured personnel carriers "express more than a thousand words and show the difficulties faced by Ukrainian defenders."

Although Ukraine can count on substantial support from the West and has received much modern equipment, soldiers are often forced to use much older weaponry. Many pieces of Soviet-era equipment were stored in Ukrainian warehouses, and some of Ukraine's European partners were also sending them to the front. Part of its arsenal, however, also consists of weapons from the now-defunct Yugoslavia, where armoured personnel carriers like the BOV were produced years ago.

These vehicles are equipped with Deutz F6L413 engines with just under 150 horsepower, reaching speeds of about 100 km/h. Inside, there is space for 10 people (two of whom are crew members). The primary armament of the BOV armoured personnel carriers is the PKT machine gun calibre 7.62 mm, besides which smoke grenade launchers have been mounted.

The Ukrainians modified the received units by installing nets intended to increase the level of protection against the Russian kamikaze drones, which are used on a large scale by the Russians. Similar constructions are also mounted on other military vehicles, both by Ukrainians and Russians. Nevertheless, the level of safety provided to the crew and passengers is not high.

Analysts from Defense Express emphasize that BOV armoured personnel carriers have not been produced for a long time and are rare even in the Balkan countries. Slovenia secretly delivered an unspecified number of these vehicles to Ukraine (information about the delivery appeared only after the delivery). However, whether the units in the recent photos from eastern Ukraine originate from those resources is uncertain.