What the conversion is for

Russians rely on bizarre “turtle shell”

The "turtle" in a field near the small eastern Ukrainian town of Krasnogorovka(Bild: twitter.com/Clash Report)

A new Russian weapon in Putin's invasion war against Ukraine is causing astonishment. A bizarre T-72 tank, equipped with additional armor that almost completely surrounds it, can be seen on drone videos leading a convoy into battle. The "turtle shell" was apparently assembled in a makeshift manner.

Internet videos show the Russian "turtle" rolling ponderously across a field strewn with artillery craters near the small town of Krasnogorovka in eastern Ukraine. When the convoy comes under fire, the vehicles turn around and retreat. Military experts are now puzzling over what the strange conversion is all about and what Putin's "turtle" is used for. It is assumed that the conversion is intended to make the tank underneath largely immune to proven Ukrainian anti-tank tactics.