Russia hasn’t given up on its bridge-carrying turtle tank
Water obstacles abound along the southern approaches toward Kramatorsk. Can Russian turtle tank bridgelayers open a path?
In a year since their initial deployment, Russia may still be refining their up-armored turtle tanks designed to carry bridge sections. These bridgelayers could prove invaluable for Russian forces seeking to traverse narrow rivers or other barriers in Eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, particularly in the vicinity of Kramatorsk. On December 2025, the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade successfully utilized a modified T-80 turtle tank equipped with a short metal bridge span attached to its front.
However, the bridgelayer proved cumbersome, unwieldy, and slower due to the added weight. It also became an attractive target for enemy drones. The tank's initial deployment over the Kazennyi Toretsk River resulted in failure. Despite this setback, the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade has not abandoned the project. Footage from recently observed training sessions suggests Russians have continued to experiment with the turtle bridge in more favorable weather conditions.
While the tank's design is far from ideal, it may still achieve its primary objective of enabling Russian troops to advance deeper into Ukraine by bridging narrow obstacles hindering their progress.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
