On Sunday, January 21, on the social media platform X, two photos of former Polish BRDM-2 reconnaissance vehicles that were delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as military aid from the government appeared. The next day, three more photos surfaced. This is the first visual confirmation of the delivery, which has not been publicly announced so far.
Photos: Ukrainian Armed Forces
Some time ago, unconfirmed reports surfaced regarding the transfer of 40 unmodernized BRDM-2 vehicles to Ukraine, but they have not been reliably verified yet. Just before the outbreak of full-scale war with Russia, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had a total of 432 BRDM-2 vehicles, including 327 in the basic unmodernized version, 80 modernized BRDM-2L1 with Iveco Tector engines and side landing doors for troop transport, and 25 BRDM-2T with Stugna-P anti-tank guided missiles (there were also at least 2 modernized BRDM-2Di Hazar with Italian engines, and the Ukrainian industry unsuccessfully offered BRM Mangusta). However, currently, due to their combat use, the number of BRDM-2 vehicles of all versions decreased to 150, according to Ukrainian sources.
Poland had 237 BRDM-2 vehicles of various versions, including the basic unmodernized version, as well as BRDM-2 R5115, BRDM-2M-96, BRDM-2M-96i, BRDM-2M-97 Żbik-B, and BRDM-2M-98 Żbik-A. There were also 54 BRDM-2M-96ik Szakal, another which served as wheeled tank destroyers with 9P133 Malutka ATGMs, along with BRDM-2 R-5, BRDM-2RS, and BRDM-2 R-1A variants. The successor to these vehicles in the Polish Armed Forces is supposed to be the Light Armored Reconnaissance Transporter Bóbr-3 (Beaver), developed for the Kleszcz program. In 2021, the prototype was tested in the 17th Greater Poland Mechanized Brigade, and the testing program was supposed to be completed by the end of 2022, followed by decisions regarding orders – which did not materialize.
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