The Minister of Defense presented the crew of the tank “Alyosha” to the title of Heroes of Russia

The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu presented for the award of the title of Hero of Russia the military personnel of the Alyosha tank crew, which in June repelled an attack by an armored group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Zaporozhye direction. About it informed press service of the military department.

The Ministry of Defense brought the details of that battle. The tank crew under the command of senior lieutenant Rasim Baksikov fell under massive artillery fire, the driver was injured. The commander evacuated the soldier and gave him first aid, and then decided to take his place in battle. Lieutenant Alexander Levakov, in turn, replaced the tank commander and advanced in the direction of the positions of the motorized rifle regiment to provide support to the defenders.

“On the way to one of the settlements, Lieutenant Levakov found eight pieces of enemy equipment, including two tanks, located in one of the nearest forest belts,” the Ministry of Defense said.

Then Baksikov decided to engage in battle with “superior enemy forces.” In the first minutes, gunner-operator Alexei Neustroev destroyed both T-72B tanks, and in the next half an hour, one M113 armored personnel carrier and five MaxxPro armored personnel carriers, along with the landing force.

According to the defense department, after the destruction of the last combat vehicle, the tank crew continued to cover motorized rifle units for another 40 minutes. Then another tank was sent to the battlefield, it was damaged by artillery fire, after which Baksikov decided to evacuate the damaged tank from the line of contact. The tank was being towed under “continuous shelling”, but the crew was saved.

At the end of July, a video of the battle at the Vremevsky ledge was circulated on the network. According to the Telegram channel “Russian Spring Military Correspondents”, the attack was repelled closer to the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Acting head of the DPR Denis Pushilin then instructed to reward the crew of the Russian tank, and the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov also made a corresponding promise. He called the situation unique, adding that the demonstrated professionalism inspires admiration and a sense of pride for the Russian military. After that, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented the crew of the Russian tank that stopped the column of the Armed Forces of Ukraine for awards.