Super Rare Russian VIP Tank Spotted in Ukraine — and Killed

This is a significant confirmation that Russia is suffering severe armored vehicle shortages.

Courtesy AltHistory. Used with permission.

Since the war in Ukraine began, Russia has lost over 3,000 tanks and armored vehicles — around 1,120 tanks just this past year. Ukrainian armed forces claim twice that number.

So, it’s no secret that Russia is suffering from tank and APC shortages.

Notably, Russia has been able to replenish its battlefield losses by pulling older tanks out of storage, but it’s a classic case of quantity over quality.

Now, a true relic from the Cold War has made its battlefield debut in Ukraine — and because we know that the Soviet Union only made four or five of these — it tells us a lot about how deep Russia is dipping into cold storage for combat vehicles.

The “Ladoga” armored personnel carrier was built on the chassis of a T-80 main battle tank and was originally designed to ferry Soviet Politburo members out of Moscow in the event of a nuclear war.

It also has the capability to serve as a temporary command and control vehicle in a nuke scenario.

In fact, because the Ladoga is sealed from nuclear contamination, the Soviets sent one to the fallout zone around the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl following the…