Ukraine’s Old Soviet-era BMP-1 Vehicles Just Keep on Fighting
The BMP-1 could be considered to be a museum piece, however, it is fighting hard in Ukraine.
Both Russia’s and Ukraine’s weapons stockpiles continue to dwindle as the nearly three-year-long war rages on. From airframes and main battle tanks to infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) and other munitions, military systems on both sides of the war have suffered major losses. One infantry fighting vehicle first introduced during the Cold War by the Soviets is notably still being used by Moscow and Kyiv alike. The BMP-1 could be considered to be a museum piece, however, its role in this twenty-first-century war indicates just how hungry for weapons both Russia and Ukraine are.
A recent report published by NPR details how a Ukrainian crew with the 1st Battalion of the 40th Coastal Defense Brigade used its Soviet-designed BMP-1 to protect its troops near the Dnipro River. According to crew members, they frequently deploy new navigation, targeting systems, and an updated cannon incorporated into the old infantry fighting vehicle to make raids on the critical riverbank against Russian positions. Located in Kherson, the Dnipro River represents part of the thin line of Ukrainian soldiers that stretches across the country. Kherson remains one of the most dangerous regions in the country, as Russian forces frequently target the area with unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) barrages. Notably, Moscow previously took control of Kherson earlier in the war. But Kherson remains in Ukrainian hands in part due to Ukraine’s upgraded arsenal of Soviet-era weapons.
An overview of the BMP-1
The Soviet-made BMP-1 amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle was first introduced in the mid-1960s. Quickly, it became the first mass-produced IFV the USSR ever fielded. The concept behind the BMP-1 series was derived from the Soviet’s deployment of armored personnel carriers (APCs) as “battle taxis” in the World War II era. Since the APCs were not fully sealed, they offered minimal protection to troops that already had to dislodge from the vehicle to launch weapons. The BMP-1 model rectified these issues. After being tested by Syrian and Egyptian forces in the 1973 Yom Kippur War against Israel, the USSR tweaked the design further to better suit the needs of its troops.
Introducing Kyiv’s upgraded BMP-1
When the BMP-1 first entered service, it was equipped with a range of capabilities that made it superior to its APC predecessor. Ukraine’s modified arsenal of these aging BMPs features additional modifications that increase their prowess in the modern era. Kyiv’s troops have replaced the fighting vehicles’ old hulls with new combat modules, often sporting modern optics and 23mm or 30mm autocannons. Last year, video footage depicting one of these fighting vehicles equipped with a KBA-2 30mm autocannon circulated on social media. These combinations of fire controls and weapons “should allow a BMP-1 crew to engage targets a thousand yards away,” according to a Forbes report.
While Ukraine’s BMP-1 may be aiding the country’s defensive efforts in the invasion, these infantry fighting vehicles are certainly not invincible against some of Russia’s more formidable UAVs. The open-source intelligence tracker Oryx estimated that Ukraine had lost at least 500 IFVs since the beginning of the war in 2023. This number has surely increased over the last year and a half.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: Shutterstock.