Mysterious Russian war machine taken down by Ukrainian forces
A yellow bus on the frontlines
As equipment losses accumulate, Russia is increasingly employing civilian and other non-military vehicles in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This trend was prominently observed in a recent assault where Russian forces utilized a decommissioned transport bus on the frontlines.
Meet the KAvZ-39765
According to combat footage published on YouTube by the Ukrainian activist and lawyer Serhii Sternenko, Russian forces used a modified KAvZ-39765 bus to transport soldiers, and possibly in an assault operation, along a portion of the frontline.
We don’t know every detail
Few details were relayed by Sternenko about the situation. The Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi reported it wasn’t clear if the bus was being used in assault operations but we do know that it was in the wrong place at the wrong time since it was destroyed.
Attacked during an Ukrainian operation
The KAvZ-39765 bus was attacked during an operation conducted by drone pilots from Ukraine's Bombus Group. Several other vehicles were reportedly destroyed by Ukrainian forces, including the bus—which could be seen in the video published by Sternenko.
What the video footage showed
In the footage, the yellow KAvZ-39765 bus made for a strange sight on the frontlines of the conflict. The video showed that the bus was likely hit two or three times by Ukrainian drone pilots, which ultimately led to the unarmored vehicle's destruction.
The bus was completely destroyed
The KAvZ-39765 bus appeared to have been hit two times before the video cut to it on fire as another drone approached. The entire video plays out through the point of view of the first-person view drones that attacked the bus.
What is the KAvZ-39765?
According to United24, The KAvZ-39765 is a cab-over bus model that was discontinued in 2008. Its appearance is similar to that of an American yellow school bus and it’s not a military vehicle, though it has made previous appearances on the battlefields in Ukraine.
Photo Credit: Wiki Commons, Собственная работа, CC BY-SA 4.0
Not a new developments in the war
“The use of buses of this model for military purposes is not a secret, as Russian media have actively covered events related to the transfer of these buses for participation in the war against Ukraine,” Militarnyi explained in its reporting on the incident.
Russian busses were in battle before
“For example, in October 2024, agricultural workers from the Irkutsk region sent a KAvZ bus to engage in the war against Ukraine, intended for Russian soldiers in the relevant military units,” Militarnyi continued, adding that the bus had been modified for military use.
Photo Credit: Telegram @Khortytsky_wind
