FACT CHECK: Post Claims To Show A T-14 Armata Tank In Ukraine

A post shared on X claims to show a T-14 Armata tank in Ukraine.

🇷🇺🇺🇦RUSSIA’S NEXT-GEN TANKS ARRIVE IN UKRAINE

The new Armata tanks are fitted with shields to protect them from drone attacks.pic.twitter.com/SKkwq0kxy7

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) August 23, 2024

Verdict: False

The video shows a T-80, not a T-14 Armata. There is no evidence the T-14 has been deployed to Ukraine.

Fact Check:

Ukraine’s surprise assault on Kursk has seen dozens of Russian towns and villages come under its control, according to The New York Times. Ukraine’s advancement into Russia has slowed in recent days, though they have still made gains, the outlet reported.

Social media users are claiming to show a T-14 Armata tank in Ukraine. One user wrote, “RUSSIA’S NEXT-GEN TANKS ARRIVE IN UKRAINE. The new Armata tanks are fitted with shields to protect them from drone attacks.”

This claim is false. The original video was posted to Telegram by a Russian outlet. The original video’s caption does not claim it shows a T-14 but rather a T-80. (RELATED: No, Video Of A Patriot Launcher Is Not From Ukraine)

“The T-80 crew built a ‘tsar-barbecue with ventilation and a camp bed. These shots show a radically protected combat vehicle from the inside. Grates were installed here so that the tank could be ventilated a little, solid sheets 8 mm thick, and even a camp bed so that you could rest between combat missions,” reads the text, which was translated using Google Translate. 

Kyle Glen, an investigator with the Centre for Information Resilience, also identified the tank as a T-80 in an X post.

The T-80 has been converted into a so-called “turtle tank.” Turtle tanks have been modified with additional armor that limits the mobility of the tank but provides added protection against drones, according to the Economist.

The leader of the corporation that manufactures the T-14 Armata is “too expensive” to use in Ukraine, according to Russian news state outlet RIA.