Text taken from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics.
[ColonelCassad] Based on the widely known battle near Novodarovka, all participants received the title of Heroes of Russia.
Below, the official description of the feat of the crew of the tank "Alyosha" under the leadership of Senior Lieutenant Rasim Baksikov.
The crew of the tank under the command of senior lieutenant Rasim Baksikov came under massive artillery fire, as a result of which the driver was injured. Crew commander Baksikov evacuated the wounded serviceman from the combat vehicle and gave him first aid. Transferring the driver to the advanced medical group, Rasim decided to take his place in the battle.
Lieutenant Alexander Levakov, having assessed the situation, decided to replace the wounded crew member and took the workplace of the tank commander and advanced in the direction of the positions of our 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.
After assessing the situation, Senior Lieutenant Baksikov made a decision and immediately entered into battle with superior enemy forces. Thanks to the skillful control of the combat vehicle and the competent use of terrain conditions for covert movement, the entry of a Russian tank into the firing line came as a surprise to the enemy.
Being in the place of the driver, Rasim Baksikov skillfully maneuvered on the battlefield and supervised the work of the crew. Lieutenant Alexander Levakov, being in the place of the commander, promptly and competently transmitted target designation to the gunner and directed the fire of the tank.
In the first minutes of the battle, gunner-operator Alexei Neustroev destroyed both enemy T-72B tanks with well-aimed fire. In the next 30 minutes, one M113 armored personnel carrier and five American-made MaxxPro armored personnel carriers were destroyed along with the landing force.
After the destruction of the last enemy combat vehicle, the tank crew continued to cover the motorized rifle units deploying in battle formations for about 40 minutes. When the combat vehicle ran out of ammunition, the crew commander Rasim Baksikov decided to go to reload, and another tank was sent to the battlefield.
After firing three shots at the advancing infantry, the second tank was damaged by enemy artillery fire. Quickly orienting in the situation and realizing that the crew of the wrecked combat vehicle needed immediate help, Senior Lieutenant Rasim Baksikov, together with his crew, decided to evacuate the damaged tank from the line of contact to a safe place.
The towing of the tank was carried out under the incessant shelling of the enemy. Thanks to the decisive actions of the military, the crew of the wrecked tank was saved.
In total, during the battle, the losses of the enemy, in addition to the destroyed equipment, amounted to more than 100 militants killed and wounded.
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Crew of the tank "Alyosha" was presented to the title of Heroes of Russia
The crew of the Alyosha tank, which defeated a column of armored vehicles of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the battle in the Zaporozhye direction, has been presented with the title of Hero of Russia, the Ministry of Defense reported on August 5.
Earlier, the Ministry of Defense published footage of a meeting with tank heroes. One of them quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin , noted that if a fight was inevitable, one should strike first, and "said his regards" to the manufacturers of Leopard tanks, and also expressed confidence in an early meeting with Abrams tanks.