Missile event in Luhansk Oblast, Dibrova area, Ukraine on Sat 16th March 2024

The Ukrainian military used the UR-77 Meteorit mine clearing vehicle against the Russian troops in the Luhansk region.

A video of the use of the vehicle was released by the Command of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The military stated that the fire was aimed at the concentration of Russian invaders’ manpower.

The combat mission was performed by the soldiers of the 48th Engineering Kamianets-Podilsky Brigade.

Almost a ton of explosives exploded at the Russian invaders’ position.

According to the released footage, an OSINT technical analyst on X social media determined that the Russian infantry was hit near the village of Dibrova in the Luhansk region.

It is worth noting that the UR-77 Meteorit mine clearing vehicle is designed primarily for demining, but it can also be used against fortifications and even to strike buildings. This practice is mostly used by Russian invaders. The Russian troops have already lost more than one such system in Ukraine.

The Meteorit is based on the tracked 2S1 Gvozdika chassis and has been in mass production since 1978. The vehicle is designed to create passages through the minefields up to 6 meters wide.

The chassis holds two launchers for the DM-140 missiles and compartments with the UZP-77 or UZP-67 detonating cable. The charge is a 7-centimeter-thick, 93-meter-long rope filled with an explosive inside. The mass of explosive in one charge for the UR-77 ranges from 665 to 725 kilograms, depending on the type.

The system’s ammunition consists of two elongated charges with solid-propellant towed missiles. One charge is enough to create a passage, i.e., one ammunition package can create two passages up to 90 meters long.

With a length of 7.9 meters, a width of 2.9 meters and a height of 2.5 meters, the 15.5-ton vehicle is capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. Its range is up to 500 kilometers on highways and up to 250 kilometers on rough terrain.