Ukraine withdraws American tanks Abrams M1A1 from the front line. One of the reasons is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the Russian occupiers.
According to the Associated Press, citing two military sources, in January 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received 31 Abrams tanks from the United States. They were used to break through the defenses of the enemy army.
During this time, however the battlefield has changed significantly – reconnaissance and attack drones began to be actively used everywhere.
This in turn made it difficult for Ukraine to defend the tanks. According to the agency, five out of a total of 31 tanks have already been lost.
According to a senior defense official, the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles on the battlefield means “there is no longer any open territory that you can just walk through without fear of being seen”. This is why this military equipment has been moved off the front line.
“We will work with our Ukrainian partners and with other partners on the ground to help them think about how this can be used in this changed environment, where everything is immediately visible” said Admiral Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A third US military official confirmed the move on condition of anonymity.
Ukraine uses American Abrams tanks near Avdeyevka
A video has been posted on Telegram
“If you think about how the battle unfolds, mass armor in an environment with ubiquitous unmanned aerial systems may be at risk” Grady explained, noting that tanks are still important.
It is quite possible that Ukraine will have to give way temporarily in some parts of the front line. This opinion was expressed by reserve major, veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war Oleksiy Hetman.
Kremlin: Abrams and ATACMS cannot change the situation on the battlefield
The Russian armed forces are constantly adapting to the use of new types of weapons
“Will we be able to regain the territories that we are losing now? Look, this advance with heavy losses for the Russians is not even kilometers, but tens, hundreds of meters. So I don’t think we should consider this as something significant.
Yes, it’s almost a war of attrition, but the Russians concentrated almost everything they had there. And they are preparing to strengthen it even more,” he emphasized.
Recently, the Ukrainian military, Ukraine’s foreign partners, specialists and independent experts warn that the Russian occupation troops are gathering forces for an offensive in certain parts of the front.
The US delivered 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Germany to train the Ukrainians
They are not intended for combat operations
