In the snowy plains of Stepove, a Russian t-90m tank, a flagship of Moscow's armaments, found itself trapped under the repeated shots of Ukrainian combat vehicles. Despite his armor designed to take the assaults, he did not withstand an unexpected tactic. One of the Ukrainian soldiers, at the helm of a Bradley M2, exploited knowledge acquired far from the battlefield: that of video games.
The fight against a Russian t-90m tank in Stepove
In the vicinity of Avdiivka, near the village of Stepove, a confrontation opposed Ukrainian infantry vehicles to a Russian t-90m tank. This commitment, immortalized by videos that have become viral, features two Bradley M2 provided by the United States, facing a much more powerful armored vehicle. The T-90M, considered one of the most advanced tanks in the Russian army, has a reactive shielding capable of absorbing direct impacts and a 125 mm cannon designed to destroy long enemy vehicles distance.
The duel started in difficult conditions, on a snowy soil where vehicle mobility was limited. According to images relayed by Numerama, from Oryx, an open source intelligence site that documents military losses in Ukraine, one of the Bradley opened fire first, pounding the Russian tank with its 25 mm automatic barrel. Despite the inferiority of its armament in the face of the armor of the T-90m, the Ukrainian crew continued the attack by systematically targeting certain parts of the armored vehicle.
The video shows the repeated impacts of the shells on the T-90m, causing spectacular explosions in contact with the reactive shielding. However, the Russian tank, despite its theoretical superiority, does not manage to respond effectively. His turret remains frozen, unable to turn to the threat which assaulted him. Towards the end of the confrontation, a kamikaze drone is rushed into the tank, sealing its destiny. The Russian crew abandons the armored vehicle and tries to flee on foot. According to information reported by Oryx, Ukrainian forces killed two Russian soldiers and captured a third.
When the simulation joins reality
This duel caught attention far beyond the front, not only because of the spectacular images, but also thanks to the testimony of the Ukrainian shooter who played a key role in the neutralization of T-90m. Identified under the first name of Serhii, this man, a member of the 47th Ukrainian mechanized mechanized brigade, explained in an interview with the Ukrainian media TCH that he had remembered the weak points of the enemy tank thanks to the video games.
According to the translation of his remarks relayed by Wartranslated, an X account specializing in the analysis of military communications, Serhii said that during the fight, he had first used anti-subsidal ammunition, before encountering problems with the latter. Faced with this difficulty, he then exploited his experience in military simulation games, remembering precisely where to knock to maximize the damage. Rather than targeting the main shielding of T-90M, designed to withstand direct assaults, it targeted the optical systems of the tank, a particularly vulnerable area.
By making the Russian t-90 tank blind, the Ukrainian crew prevented his opponent from rippling effectively. This tactic, often taught in military simulations and reproduced in games like War Thunder, is based on a simple principle: rather than trying to destroy a too resistant armored vehicle, it is sometimes more effective to deprive it of its combat capacities.
A victory beyond the battlefield
The confrontation between the Ukrainian Bradley and the Russian t-90m tank has not only scored a strategic point on the field, it also had a considerable media impact. As soon as the images were broadcast, the Ukrainian authorities claimed this victory as a symbol of resistance to a technologically better equipped Russian army. For its part, Moscow sought to minimize the scope of this sequence, a strategy already observed after other important losses.
But beyond the communication battle between kyiv and Moscow, this event raises a broader question on the evolution of modern conflicts. As Forbes recalls, digital simulations today play an increasing role in military training. War Thunder, the game mentioned indirectly by Serhii, is renowned for its concern for detail in the reproduction of tanks, planes and other military vehicles. Although it remains a game above all, it allows players to learn realistic tactical concepts, especially on the weak points of armored vehicles.
Serhii's anecdote also illustrates a broader phenomenon: the new generation of soldiers, having grown up with strategy and military simulation video games, incorporates reflexes from digital technology in the reality of combat. This hybridization between video game culture and military reality is not new. In the past, several armies have used simulators inspired by games to train their soldiers, taking advantage of immersive technologies to refine their responsiveness and their understanding of the field.
Far from being anecdotal, this duel highlights the adaptation of fighters to the new realities of the battlefield, where tactical intelligence and mastery of new technologies can sometimes compensate for an armament inferiority.
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
