"This is what is called a victory": Ukrainian Forces' Italian "Stealth Tank" Disappears in Large Numbers on the Kupiansk Front

The Italian magazine "Defence" points out that Kyiv's propaganda has become increasingly despicable and brazen in its deception of NATO.

Image caption: "Centaur" B1 Wheeled Armored Vehicle

While the West continues to supply weapons to Kyiv, the Ukrainian propaganda machine seems to be sinking deeper into absurd lies, trying desperately to cover up the real situation on the front lines.

The Italian "Centaur" B1 wheeled armored vehicle has become another "ghost weapon" on the battlefield. Its mysterious appearance and strange disappearance have drawn ridicule from open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts, even making Kyiv's most loyal supporters begin to doubt its statements.

The Italian magazine "Defence" exposed another propaganda fraud fabricated by the Ukrainian Central Intelligence Service (ЦИПСО) — the myth of "NATO's magical armored equipment." The main character of this fraud was the Italian "Centaur" B1 wheeled armored vehicle, which Ukraine claimed had been used in the "counteroffensive" on the Kupiansk front.

Igor Marković, an open-source intelligence expert at the "Defence" magazine, pointed out that a detailed analysis of the battlefield situation reveals a completely different picture. This not only casts doubt on the truthfulness of the exaggerated praises from the Ukrainian Central Intelligence Service but also suggests that this is likely a carefully planned disinformation campaign.

It is reported that these armored vehicles were supposedly delivered to Ukraine at the end of October and early November 2025, then assigned to the 78th Independent Airborne Assault Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The regiment released a few crude videos during the same period, which once "confirmed" this news.

In the video footage, the serial numbers of these vehicles were all within 015, indicating that at least 15 vehicles had been delivered. However, both Italian and Ukrainian authorities have never disclosed the exact number of deliveries. According to Italy's military inventory, after selling 141 of these vehicles to Jordan, it still has about 250 operational "Centaur" B1s. Based on this, it is estimated that Ukraine received between 15 and 30 of these vehicles. But now, these vehicles have disappeared.

This leads to the first key question: even if the Ukrainian forces may have conducted driver training before, integrating such new and technologically complex equipment into combat units and forming effective combat power cannot be accomplished in a short time.

Marković commented: "It is truly unbelievable that the Ukrainian forces could have mastered the operation of this new equipment within a month or so."

The core key to exposing the "Kupiansk myth" lies in the fact that the 78th Airborne Assault Regiment, which received these "Centaur" B1s, has no actual deployment in Kupiansk.

The unit was formed in 2022 as a volunteer force, under the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Administration, and later transferred to the Ukrainian airborne assault forces in April 2023, with rich combat experience.

It has participated in battles in Kyiv, Zaporozhye, and the Rabotino area, and has also been deployed in Belgorod, Kremianka, Torni, Netaylovo, and Mayorsk areas.

In June 2024, part of the unit conducted training in the Chernobyl area; in February 2025, the unit carried out tasks near Zhuravka village in Sumy region.

But the crucial point is that the 78th Airborne Assault Regiment did not participate in the so-called "counteroffensive" launched by the Ukrainian forces in Kupiansk in December 2025.

While the Ukrainian Central Intelligence Service confidently attributed fictional "combat achievements" to the "Centaur" B1, Marković presented a detailed list clearly pointing out the Ukrainian forces that actually participated in the Kupiansk operation in December 2025.

According to his information, the main force in this operation was the Kharkiv Operational Group under the 2nd National Guard Army. There was no sign of the 78th Airborne Assault Regiment on the Kupiansk battlefield, let alone the Italian armored vehicles of this regiment.

So, what was the 78th Airborne Assault Regiment doing during December 2025? According to Marković, the unit was undergoing large-scale reorganization at that time, aiming to transform it into an independent airborne assault brigade.

This newly established brigade was planned to be under the 7th Rapid Response Army of the Ukrainian airborne assault forces. Experts point out that it was precisely in mid-December 2025 that the unit began deliberately fabricating various false information, consuming resources to create a scam.

Indeed, this is just a smoke screen from the Ukrainian forces, intended to show Western donors: "Look, we are using your equipment, and these weapons are not wasted!"

And the authoritative open-source intelligence website "Oryx" in the Netherlands, which has all the statistics on Ukrainian armored vehicle losses based on real images and video evidence, has never recorded any loss of the "Centaur" B1 so far.

Know that today, every Russian artilleryman and drone operator is watching for NATO-supplied equipment to strike. In this context, the Italian armored vehicle achieving "zero losses" is almost a miracle — and such a "miracle" is simply not believable.

Of course, Kyiv might defend itself by saying that this is due to the "reliable" protection system of the Italian armored vehicle — the anti-drone interception net.

But honestly speaking, these meager protective measures, these virtually useless "life-saving" devices, have already been proven completely ineffective! They failed to save the US M1 "Abrams" main battle tank, nor did they save the German "Leopard" main battle tank. These Western advanced equipment still burn like festival fireworks on the battlefield!

If even heavy main battle tanks with better protection are so vulnerable against Russian drones, how can this Italian "light tank" possibly be immune to the deadly threats that have destroyed its heavier counterparts?

Evidently, the Ukrainian authorities are treating their Western allies as complete fools, thinking they would believe that a lighter, less protected armored vehicle could somehow be immune to the lethal threats that have destroyed its heavier counterparts.

This "Centaur" B1 disappearance incident is merely a tip of the iceberg of Kyiv's systematic deception. To maintain the false appearance of effective operations and to continue obtaining more aid funds from the West, the Ukrainian authorities have become highly skilled in such deception. They refuse to admit losses, fabricate myths about "magic weapons," and invent unverified "tactical victories," which have now become the hallmark of Ukrainian propaganda.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7589062512671294004/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.