Photos capture the crude cages Russian and Ukrainian crews are welding on their tanks and armor as a last-ditch defense

• Russian and Ukrainian troops are outfitting their tanks and fighting vehicles with crude cages. 
• These defenses are a last-ditch efforts to defend against threats like drones and certain munitions.
• A retired US Army colonel said the configurations can pose a major inconvenience to soldiers.

Tanks and armored vehicles are built to withstand a certain amount of enemy firepower, but they are far from invincible. Facing growing explosive threats, often from above, Russian and Ukrainian vehicle crews are constructing their own extra layer of defense.