Man Steals Rocket From Battlefield And It Ends Up Exploding In His Car

A rocket has exploded in a civilian's car after they reportedly took it from the battlefields as 'a souvenir'.

Amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, whole hosts of bombs and other weaponry have been utilised.

On Tuesday, 17 May, two people are reported as having taken a Swedish Pansarskott 86 (AT-4) from eastern Ukraine and loaded it into the boot of a car.

However, the rocket 'exploded in the trunk' while the car was parked in Mytishchi, Russia. Two people are reported as having been injured.

Twitter account Ukraine Weapons Tracker took to the platform to share images of the damaged vehicle.

The caption reads: "Why it is unwise to take items from the battlefield: Today, a Swedish Pansarskott 86 (AT-4) launcher exploded in the truck of a civilian car- not in UA, but in Mytishchi, Russia.

"It was taken from the battlefields of E. Ukraine- perhaps as a souvenir or for sale."

The explosion occurred after the 'detonation of ammunition' according to newspaper Vechernyaya Moskva (VM).

As well as a Swedish Pansarskott 86 (AT-4) launcher – identified by experts in Ukraine – the trunk also reportedly contained items likened to army hand grenade launchers.

People living in the surrounding buildings were evacuated.

The two people injured in the explosion were named by Russian Telegram channel 112 as 52-year-old retired Major Viktor Kovtykov and 38-year-old Nikolay Podobrazny.

They are reported as having suffered mine-explosive wounds and were taken to hospital.

Kovtykov was stated as having been travelling to Donbas to supply humanitarian aid. According to 112, he had previously taken a grenade from the area with the intention to sell it upon his return to Russia.

Last month, the Kremlin announced the Donbas was its main goal of the war.

In a video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated: "Now we can already state that the Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, for which they have been preparing for a long time. No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day."

Soon after, satellite imagery revealed what appeared to be an eight-mile-long Russian convoy outside the eastern city of Kharkiv.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information 

Topics: Russia, Ukraine

Poppy Bilderbeck

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.