AI-rewritten: This is a summary of an article from Tom’s Hardware, rewritten by AI (Qwen, running locally) to make it easier to read. The facts come from the original article – read it for the full story.

---

Russia’s new Shturm uncrewed tank failed during its debut at the Tsentr-2026 military exercise held from September 28 to October 3, 2026. According to an October 3 Defense Blog post, the vehicle repeatedly lost its command-and-control radio link with its separate command car. This failure forced organizers to abandon remote operations and switch to a human driver-mechanic for the demonstration in front of President Vladimir Putin.

Despite manual control, the tank eventually got stuck in a muddy ditch beside a dirt track, with its tracks and front hull buried in the soil. The Shturm is a heavy robotic assault system designed by Uralvagonzavod, the world’s largest tank manufacturer by output. It is built on modified Soviet-era T-72 and T-90 chassis and features a shortened 125mm main gun or alternative configurations like twin 30mm cannons. Its defining feature is a control system allowing remote operation from a command vehicle within roughly three kilometers, though it also includes a manual driver option.

The Russian Defense Ministry initially stated on October 2 that Putin had been shown the vehicles and that they provided fire support during drills. Reports of the failure emerged afterward. A Russian armor expert cited by the Defense Blog noted several technical flaws, including an unprotected engine compartment and turret roof that drones often target in Ukraine. The expert criticized the vehicle’s dependence on a command post located three to four kilometers away in direct line of sight, stating there is no point without proper communications like Starlink.