The T-64B1M tank, after being captured and recovered, was reused by the Eastern separatists to fight the armed forces Ukraine
Soldiers of the 1st Slavic Brigade - Eastern separatist forces
used an extremely rare T-64B1M tank captured from the Ukrainian Army to fight the enemy
It is known that the aforementioned T-64B1M previously belonged to the Azov Regiment - Ukrainian Army
it was found in Mariupol in a damaged state, but has now been restored
Currently, the tank is fighting the Kyiv soldiers themselves.
In a video, the T-64B1M was ambushing a Ukrainian convoy
coordinating with drones to identify targets and fire from a position obscured by trees
The origins of the T-64B1Ms are quite special
In 2013, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo signed a contract for the supply of 50 T-64A main battle tanks
all of which will be upgraded to the T-64B1M standard before handing over
The deal value is estimated at 10 million USD, equivalent to 200,000 USD for a T-64B1M
However due ongoing military conflict in Ukraine, tanks were delivered to Ukrainian armed forces instead
It is known that at least 10 tanks were delivered to Ukrainian armed forces
Compared to the original T-64A, the T-64B1M has a very recognizable appearance through its distinctive disc-shaped turret
This design is said to be the inspiration for Russia to apply on the newly launched T-90M Proryv-3
The very strange shape of the turret has the effect of sliding anti-tank rounds, limiting the penetration
The tank is covered with explosive reactive armor of the 3rd generation Nozh, researched and manufactured by Ukraine
It is said to be similar to the Russian Relikt, and outperform the Kontakt 5 on the T-72B3
The main weapon of the T-64B1M is a 125 mm smoothbore gun. It is fitted with an automatic loader
Maximum effective range of fire is 2,500 m at daytime, and up to 1,500 m at night
A total of 37 rounds are carried for the main gun
The T-64B1M, as its predecessor, lacks capability to launch anti-tank guided missiles
Secondary weapons are coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and remotely-controlled 12.7 mm machine gun
Because it is a cheap upgrade package, the T-64B1M tank does not have a modern thermal imager integrated
so the night combat ability of this tank proved to be relatively limited
It seems that Ukrainian T-64B1M retains out-dated fire control system of the T-64B1
It is no match for modern fire control system
However considering that this tank is intended for developing countries, it is adequate for its missions
The heart of this steel monster is a 6TD turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 1,000 horsepower
more powerful than the 840-horsepower V-84-1 mounted on the T-72B3, only slightly inferior to the T-72B3M
The maximum speed is up to 65 km/h, and the range is 600 km
Overall in terms of protection, firepower and mobility the T-64B1M is broadly similar to the T-64BM Bulat, used by Ukrainian Army
Estimated number of T-64B1M is only about 10 units
so this is the rarest improved version of the T-64 main battle tank family in Ukraine, much less than the T-64BM Bulat