The BMC Kirpi armored personnel carrier of the Ukrainian army was seized by soldiers of the Russian private military company Wagner.
Photos on social media show that soldiers of the private Russian military company Wagner have seized an intact BMC Kirpi armored infantry fighting vehicle of the Ukrainian army. According to some sources, this armored vehicle was discovered and confiscated in the Blahodatne region in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine.
The BMC Kirpi is a mine-resistant armored personnel carrier manufactured by the Turkish defense contractor BMC and gained a lot of buzz after being widely used in the conflict with Syria. This is a relatively new armored vehicle in the Ukrainian army when it was transferred by Turkey to Kyiv in early August 2022.
With a configuration of 4×4 or 6×6 depending on the version, this armored vehicle has a length of 6-7m, a width of 2.5m, and a height of 3.2m. With a payload of 20 tons, the BMC Kirpi can carry 13 soldiers and crew members with full equipment.
The strength of the BMC Kirpi mine-resistant infantry fighting vehicle is that it can move at a very high speed, up to 100km/h and still be able to withstand the destructive power of mines and light weapons. This vehicle is also equipped with 12.7mm machine guns to provide fire support for infantry on the battlefield.
Earlier, the Defense Blog site reported that the Russian military had repaired, converted, and put into service a BMC Kirpi armored vehicle obtained from Ukraine. This armored vehicle was later seen with the distinctive “V” insignia of Russian forces in Ukraine.
