Belarus strengthens Ukraine border with new T‑72B tank deployment
The Belarusians are once again strengthening their border with Ukraine. This time, Lukashenko's army is moving T-72B tanks southward, and photos of the transportation have appeared on social media.
In mid-August this year, Belarus attempted to divert the Ukrainian army's attention from operations in the Russian Kursk region by sending considerable equipment to the border. The list of weapons transported towards Ukraine at that time included Polonez and Iskander missile systems.
Belarus sends tanks to the border with Ukraine
Shortly afterwards, Minsk decided to offload part of its military stockpiles—this time by transferring valuable machines to the Russian Federation. The Belarusian Ministry of Defence reported the dispatch of numerous rocket artillery systems to Russia, including BM-30 Smerch complexes.
Stockpile searches are ongoing, and Belarus is once again choosing to reinforce the border with Ukraine using tanks. For the second time in a few weeks, T-72B tanks are sent towards Russia's adversary. The profile @front_ukrainian shared photos of the Belarusian army's transport units on platform X, among others. The exact number of machines reaching the border is unknown, but the photos show at least a dozen machines participating in the rail transport.
T-72B tanks
The T-72B is one of the best-known and most widely used tanks from the Soviet, and later Russian, army. Its versatility and reliability make it a machine still valued on battlefields worldwide.
The T-72B is powered by a V-84-1 engine, generating around 840 horsepower, giving the tank a maximum speed of up to 60 kilometres per hour on paved roads and 35-45 kilometres per hour off-road. The engine power allows the tank to overcome slopes with a gradient of up to 30° and water obstacles of up to 1.2 metres deep without preparation, and with appropriate preparation, even up to 5 metres deep.
Belarusian T-72B tanks are armed with a 125 mm 2A46M gun, capable of firing various types of ammunition, including AT-11 anti-tank guided missiles, which can hit targets up to 4 kilometres away. Additionally, the tank is equipped with a 7.62 mm PKT machine gun and a 12.7 mm NSVT anti-aircraft machine gun. This armament allows the T-72B crew to effectively engage both armoured units and enemy infantry.
