Recently, an intriguing video surfaced online featuring a combat episode involving one of the Russian BTR-82 armored personnel carriers, which Western media have already dubbed "one of the strangest scenes" ever witnessed on a battlefield with this vehicle. The footage below captures an FPV drone attack on the BTR of the Russian occupying forces, along with subsequent "chaotic" fire from its cannon.
The video caught the attention of The War Zone, and to summarize the episode, it begins with a BTR standing in the middle of a field, emitting smoke. Later, the scenes shift to the FPV drone attacking this BTR-82, which is equipped with the traditional "anti-drone defense."
Next, more footage from a reconnaissance UAV shows the strike on the BTR, while simultaneously, we see the 30mm 2A72 automatic cannon firing what appears to be "chaotic" shots into the air. This event lasts about 20 seconds before the BTR ceases firing. The future of this armored vehicle remains uncertain.
It is unclear whether the crew of this BTR managed to escape (considering the open hatches) or if they remained inside the vehicle at the moment of the FPV drone attack. One might speculate that the crew was actually attempting to shoot down another drone (last year, there was indeed a unique case where our BMP Bradley shot down a Russian FPV drone).
However, it is most likely that such erratic firing was the result of a malfunction. It is also unknown whether the vehicle stopped firing because the cannon had ultimately broken down or if the ammunition had run out.
Incidentally, a similar episode involving uncontrolled firing occurred back in May 2023, but the main characters then were the T-90M tank and its "mad" machine gun, which fired chaotically, likely due to damaged electronics in the vehicle.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that Belarus once again showcased the BTR-V2 as an alternative to the BTR-82.