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Ukraine celebrates Tank Troops Day! Here are eight stories of Ukrainian tankers you won’t see in movies
Hollywood couldn’t stage this: one Ukrainian T-64 plowing through three Russian T-72s and surviving. From Soviet tanks turned against their former masters to American Abrams and German Leopards, Ukraine’s armored forces have rewritten battlefield rules. These are the stories of skilled operators like “Adam” and “Song” who break encirclements, save thousands of comrades, and turn desperate defenses into victories.
1. “Adam”: the tank operator whose T-64 withstood three Russian T-72s
A Ukrainian T-64 against three Russian T-72s — and victory stayed with the Ukrainians. This was the battle of Yevhen Mezhevikyn, call sign “Adam”, in the fall of 2014 during the defense of Donetsk Airport, Army Inform reports. His tank didn’t just stop the enemy advance — it pushed through fire to reach the terminals, where the Ukrainian “cyborgs” held out for months without water or heat.
At that time, the Ukrainian army was only beginning to recover after the collapse of the 1990s and early 2000s: outdated equipment, minimal supplies, and almost no combat experience.
But due to operators like “Adam”, the army held the airport and endured.
Mezhevikyn not only destroyed enemy vehicles, but they also trained fellow operators on the frontline, repaired damaged tanks, and led the riskiest breakthroughs.
When Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, “Adam” formed a tactical group. With volunteers and repaired tanks, they immediately went into battle near Kyiv and then fought near Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Bakhmut. For this path, from “cyborg” to commander of a legendary group, Mezhevikyn became the first tank operator awarded the Order of the “Golden Star” Hero of Ukraine. Mezhevikyn now serves on the General Staff.
2. “Captured tank against a column”: one operator against a Russian column
A single Ukrainian tank faced an entire Russian column. In August 2014, during the battle for Ilovaisk, Colonel Yevhen Sydorenko took a captured T-72B into combat and stopped the enemy advance. Cases like this are rare in military history, mostly seen in World War II.
Ukrainian forces were outmatched: surrounded by regular Russian troops, with minimal equipment and ammunition, against full battalion groups. Despite the odds, they fought on and prepared for a breakout.
On 29 August, after repelling an attack, the column moved to break out of encirclement. Sydorenko’s tank led the movement, covering retreating comrades.
For this action, Yevhen Sydorenko was awarded Hero of Ukraine. Their feat became a symbol of self-sacrifice, showing how one tank can change the course of a battle.
3. “Song”: three tanks breaking encirclement, thousands saved
In the early days of the full-scale invasion, 23-year-old platoon commander Yevhen Palchenko, call sign “Song”, defended his brigade’s escape from encirclement near Kherson, risking their life.
Breaking through the Russian ring, their three tanks held positions near the Antonivsky Bridge, allowing comrades to escape. About 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers and their equipment were saved. On 2 March 2022, Lieutenant Yevhen Palchenko was awarded Hero of Ukraine for this heroic action. Their story shows how the courage of a single tank operator can save an entire brigade.
4. “Company under fire”: one tank against two dozen enemy vehicles, and it survived
One tank against two dozen enemy vehicles, and the crew survived. Captain Serhii Ponomarenko’s company was thrown into combat just hours after arriving near Barvinkove on 12 March 2022. Since then, the 3rd Separate Tank Brigade of the Ukrainian Ground Forces has been continuously defending Kharkiv Oblast.
During an assault on Topolske near Izium, six Ukrainian tanks engaged more than twenty Russian vehicles. Due to skill and training, nine enemy tanks were destroyed. One Ukrainian T-72 took multiple hits, and Ponomarenko risked their tank to save the operators, as per Facty.
“The T-64 has an excellent fire control system, with a ballistic calculator measuring wind and direction and automatically adjusting. The sight has a zoom for precision. The T-64 works like a sniper rifle of a large caliber. The T-72’s sight is poor,” Ponomarenko explains.
However, the T-72 engine starts more easily in the cold, but the T-64’s acceleration is comparable despite needing preheating. The T-72 may be faster, but the T-64 holds its own in maneuvering.
The operators supported their commander, suppressed enemy positions, and recovered the damaged tank under fire. On 2 April 2022, Serhii Ponomarenko was awarded Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the “Golden Star”.
5. “Phoenix on the battlefield”: T-64 crew rises twice from the dead
A mine exploded, but the operators kept fighting, destroying an enemy mortar team. Sergeant Vitaly Shevchenko, gunner Andrii Mukhin, and mechanic-gunner Maksym Kravchuk survived two near-fatal attacks near Sloviansk — first from a mine, then from an anti-tank guided missile. Twice, like a mythical Phoenix, they rose from the flames to continue the fight, according to Uriadovyi Kurier.
From the first day of the war, this crew has been on the frontline, performing missions in the toughest zones. Their tank became a guardian for infantry, its gun a deadly weapon against enemies. During one attack, additional fuel tanks exploded, yet the operators advanced, breached a concrete barrier, and destroyed enemy mortar positions. The commander personally extinguished flames, protecting the crew. After minor repairs, the tank returned to combat.
6. “Ramming for comrades”: a young tank operator against a T-72
One tank against a T-72 to save comrades. On 12 August 2014, tank operator Artem Abramovich, 24, rammed a Russian T-72 near Stepanivka, covering the retreat of Ukrainian soldiers. The enemy tank was destroyed, but Artem died in battle. Their heroism became a symbol of self-sacrifice. Posthumously, on 13 August 2015, they were awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III class.
7. American hardware in Ukrainian hands
BMP Bradleys, in coordination with Abrams tanks, became a formidable battlefield force.
During operations near Novoivanivka in the Kursk Oblast, operators of the 47th Mechanized Brigade showcased extraordinary skill.
They rotated personnel, provided fire support, and destroyed enemy forces hiding in buildings. Every shot and maneuver was precise, and every decision was life-or-death.
“American hardware is decisive on the battlefield, but without skilled operators, it’s nothing,” the brigade noted.
The operation decimated Russian forces, halted the invasion of Sumy Oblast, and showed that Ukrainian forces could take the fight into enemy territory.
8. “He lost a leg but saved the tank”
The driver of a Leopard from the 33rd Brigade saved lives despite losing a leg in combat. Known as “Hor,” a former bartender, his comrade recounts the moment as a defining act of courage. Mobilized in March 2022, they began on a T-72, fought in counteroffensives, and then retrained on the Leopard.
Near Mala Tokmachka, Russian helicopters fired missiles. Their mechanic lost a leg. Despite this, they drove the tank out of combat, saving the entire crew. Later, near Kurakhove, their crew fired 49 rounds, destroying two tanks, two BMPs, one BTR, and three Russian positions.
