Ukrainian forces are believed to have used Australian-supplied Bushmasters as part of their recent surprise incursion into Russia, with evidence emerging of at least one of the armoured vehicles apparently destroyed inside the western border region of Kursk.
Just days after British-supplied tanks were reported to have crossed over the Russian border, video has been broadcast on Ukrainian television showing the wreckage of a Victorian-made Bushmaster on the side of a road.
Moscow declared a state of emergency after Ukraine’s daring military incursion launched on August 6, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says was aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent further Russian attacks across the border.
This month’s surprise attack by Ukraine is Kyiv’s largest cross-border assault since the start of the full-scale conflict, which has seen Russian territory under occupation for the first time since World War II.
Retired Australian Army General Mick Ryan says he’s confirmed that Australian-supplied Bushmasters took part in the Ukrainian operation, which has forced more than 100,000 locals to flee.
“The Australian Bushmasters serve with one of the brigades that has apparently taken part in at least the initial phases, probably follow up phases of the Ukrainian operation in Kursk,” he told the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program.
“These are excellent vehicles. There’s a reason why the Ukrainians like them and use them because they protect their soldiers. They’ve lost at least one, potentially two or three so far in this operation, it would be nice to see some replacements on their way.”
An overnight report broadcast by news outlet Ukrainian Pravda shows the Bushmaster burnt down to its hull, but Major-General Ryan said it was unclear whether the occupants managed to escape the heavily protected vehicle alive.
“It’s hard to know whether that was a catastrophic loss and it happened straight away or whether it’s just burnt for some time afterwards once the soldiers have evacuated from the vehicle.”
The Australian government and Department of Defence are so far declining to comment on the report, but last week the UK’s defence ministry declared Ukraine had a “clear right” to use UK-supplied weapons for self-defence, and “that does not preclude operations inside Russia”.
ABC News Verify analysis of the footage indicates the vehicle was destroyed somewhere north of Sudzha, in the Kursk region.
To date, Australia’s military support to Ukraine has included at least 120 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles, which are produced by French-owned defence manufacturer Thales at its facility in Bendigo, Victoria.
Since Ukraine’s recent advance into Russian territory, sightings of western-supplied armour have included US Bradley and Stryker armoured vehicles, German Marders as well as UK-donated Challenger 2 tanks.
