Shoulder-fired antitank weapons and antitank grenades knocked out the bulk of armored
vehicles and each destroyed vehicle took an average of three to six lethal hits.⁽⁸⁾ Fuel cells and
engines are favorite aiming points for Chechen antitank gunners. The following illustrations have
a grey area imposed which shows the area where 90% of the lethal hits occurred.⁽⁹⁾

The BMD-1 is a personnel carrier assigned to airborne forces. As such, it is lightly armored.

It was vulnerable to front, rear, flanking and top-down fire. The front portion of the turret is
reinforced and, consequently, not vulnerable, but the rear of the turret is.

There is more armor on the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle. However, its top armor is weak, its
fuel tanks are within the rear doors and the driver’s compartment is vulnerable.

The BTR-70 wheeled armored personnel carrier showed many of the same vulnerabilities as the
BMD and BMP.

Sixty-two tanks were destroyed in the first month’s fighting in Chechnya. Over 98%
(apparently 61 tanks) were knocked out by rounds which impacted in areas not protected by
reactive armor. The Russians employed the T-72 and T-80 tank in Chechnya. They were both
invulnerable to frontal shots, since the front is heavily armored and covered with reactive armor.
Kill shots were made at those points where there is no reactive armor–the sides and rear and, on
top shots, on the drivers hatch and the rear of the turret and rear deck. Early in the conflict, most
Russian tanks went into combat without their reactive armor. They were particularly vulnerable
to damaging or lethal frontal hits without