Why 77% of Russian Tanks were Destroyed in 3 Days (Chechen Wars)

Video Description

On December 31, 1994, a Russian communications officer heard three words on his headset: "Welcome to Hell." Seconds later, the 131st Maikop Brigade was ambushed at Grozny's train station. Within 72 hours, 789 men were killed, captured, or missing out of 1,000. 20 of 26 T-72 tanks burned in the streets. Russia lost more tanks proportionally than during the Battle of Berlin in 1945. Defense Minister Pavel Grachev promised to take Grozny "with a single parachute regiment in two hours." Instead, Russian tank columns drove straight into a meticulously planned Chechen ambush, repeating the same urban warfare mistakes from WWII. The T-72 was invulnerable from the front—but Chechen fighters systematically destroyed columns "from above and below" with RPGs targeting sides, rear, and driver hatches. Most Russian tanks went into combat without their reactive armor even installed. This video examines the catastrophic New Year's Eve massacre, Colonel Ivan Savin's final stand, the forensic analysis at Kubinka test range, and why Russia's elite Spetsnaz forces surrendered after asking reporters "who is fighting whom?" Most devastatingly: in February 2022, Russian columns drove toward Kyiv and were ambushed using identical Chechen tactics—proving the lessons of Grozny were never learned. #ChechenWar #MilitaryHistory #T72Tank #UrbanWarfare #Grozny #RussianMilitary #TankWarfare