ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine, June 30 - As a record-breaking heatwave swept across much of Europe and spilled into Ukraine, the searing temperatures bore down even harder on soldiers sealed inside a hulking, steel Soviet-era tank.
Blistering conditions across the continent have disrupted power generation, damaged infrastructure and overwhelmed healthcare systems.
But the heat has brought its own challenges to
the battlefield in Ukraine.
"The vehicle gets very hot after completing its mission. The temperature inside can become really hot," chief sergeant of the tank battalion of the 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade, using call sign "Sympatiaha", told Reuters on Sunday.
"Unlike the Abrams, Challenger and Leopard tanks (supplied by) Western partners, this has no air conditioning."
The Soviet-era T-72 battle tanks can weigh between 41 and 45 tons, turning them into heat traps under the summer sun In a leafy, secluded area of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, Sympatiaha's fellow servicemen sat atop their tank, splashing water from a bottle onto their faces in an effort to cool down.