US-made MaxxPro mine-resistant armored fighting vehicles 'are almost indestructible,' Ukrainians say

• US-made MaxxPro vehicles "are almost indestructible," a Ukrainian fighter told The Times.
• Ukraine's 68th Jaeger Brigade used the vehicle to escape heavy Russian gunfire earlier this month.
• It has a "V-shaped" hull that helps deflect blasts from mines or improvised explosive devices.

US-made MaxxPro mine-resistant armored fighting vehicles are proving crucial in Ukraine's fight against Russian forces, according to a report by The Times.

Earlier this month, soldiers from Ukraine's 68th Jaeger Brigade became stranded as they tried to push forward in the village of Blahodatne. 

While some were killed as they attempted to flee, others escaped in a MaxxPro armored fighting vehicle, despite being under heavy fire. 

"The MaxxPros are like a red rag to the Russians, they target it with everything they have," Stepan, a Ukrainian fighter, told The Times. "But they are almost indestructible."

One of the vehicles was hit by shelling and another by mortars, but "everyone inside survived. They truly saved our soldiers' lives," Stepan said. 

The MaxxPro was initially built to help protect soldiers in Iraq from improvised explosive devices, according to Navistar Defense, the manufacturer of the vehicle.

It has a "V-shaped" hull that helps deflect explosions away from the crew, and it is designed "to withstand ballistic arms fire, mine blasts, IED, and other emerging threats." It also has room for one gunner, per Navistar.

The vehicle has a seating capacity for 12 personnel. Its single turret houses a 7.62 or 12.7 mm machine gun. 

Last year, the US announced that it would send 200 vehicles to Ukraine as part of a military aid package.  

Mine warfare

While the MaxxPro may prove invaluable as Ukrainian forces try to avoid Russia's minefields, the troops still face a casualty-inducing military challenge.

Ukraine claimed last weekend it had made advances in villages in the country's southeast Donetsk region, including in Blahodatne, Reuters reported. 

But it is facing formidable obstacles, including Russia's complex defense systems in southeastern Ukraine, comprised of razor wire, anti-tank obstacles, and deadly minefields, Insider recently reported.

In the days after the liberation of Blahodatne, the 68th brigade suffered "hundreds" of casualties, a battlefield medic told The Times.

"Most of them are from mines and shelling," he said, adding that there were "minefields everywhere."

Mine warfare has played a significant role on both sides of the conflict.

Ukrainian forces have fired the Remote Anti-Armor Mine System, a US-made artillery round that lays anti-tank mines in flight, Insider recently reported.  

There have also been reports of Russian casualties as they "withdraw through their own minefields."

Watch: The true cost of Ukraine's dam disaster

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufony2v4ymoKedXaeytLXSrZinrF2irrnEz6umZpmioryzscNmnaKfmKm2r7OMr5yhoZOhsrR5yKebnqukp8KkwMibo55lpaC%2ForXNnmSrraOotqJ5kWlpbGVm