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Ukraine on Tank-Losing Streak, Writes Off Quarter of Leopard 2s in Just Over a Week

© Photo : Screenshot / Russian Defense Ministry videoLeopard 2 and Bradley pictured among destroyed and damaged Ukrainian vehicles. Screenshot of Russian Defense Ministry video.
Leopard 2 and Bradley pictured among destroyed and damaged Ukrainian vehicles. Screenshot of Russian Defense Ministry video. - Sputnik International, 1920, 04.11.2023
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The Russian military has been so successful in obliterating Western armored vehicles, including tanks, that officials in the US and Europe have even begun to question their effectiveness, it was reported back in September, as Kiev's counteroffensive proved to be a complete failure despite the flow of aid from NATO countries.
Ukraine’s Armed Forces have been facing a streak of Leopard 2 tank losses, a US media report has revealed.
Within slightly over a week, at least a dozen of Ukraine’s Leopard 2A4s, Leopard 2A6s, and Stridsvagn 122s (Strv 122) have been “written off," as per the outlet, which clarified that the latter are Swedish versions of the Leopard 2A5. Furthermore, six Leopard 2s were lost by Ukraine earlier. Thus, a quarter of the German tanks donated to the Kiev regime have been destroyed by Russia's military in the course of its special ops over the abovementioned period, the author claims.
Overall, Western countries propping up Kiev pledged 85 Leopard 2s to President Volodymyr Zelensy’s regime. To date, they have delivered 71 to Ukraine. The outlet clarified that Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade lost one of its much-valued Leopard 2A6 tanks occured outside Avdeyevka, northwest of Donetsk, in the Donbass region. The aforementioned 47th Brigade was part of Kiev's failed counteroffensive effort in the Zaporozhye direction. The 47th Brigade saw a number of its 21 Western-supplied Leopard 2A6s and dozens of US-made M2 infantry fighting vehicles wiped out in the fray.
Meanwhile, the 33rd Mechanized Brigade, which replaced the 47th along that direction, was described as having lost either the seventh or eighth of its 40 Leopard 2A4s.
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Tank losses by the Ukrainian military were attributed to mines and/or hits from explosive-laden Russian drones. At least one Strv 122 was believed to have been taken out of the equation by Russia’s troops using an anti-tank guided missile. A mechanical breakdown was not ruled out as te reason for the recent loss of a Leopard 2A6. "Russians are getting better at killing Ukrainian vehicles, especially tanks—and especially with drones," summed up the report.
The Leopard 2 tanks supplied to Ukraine by Western countries have proven to be ineffective in combat operations due to a number of design features, according to Yan Gagin, adviser to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). The Leopard 2 does not have sufficient maneuverability and hull strength, Gaginpointed out, and furthermore, these tanks weigh a lot, and their off-road capability is mediocre.
After the Ukrainian military had lost nearly one-fifth of its Leopard 2 main battle tanks, which were supplied by NATO, the West has reportedly been unable to furnish Kiev with an adequate number of modern tanks that could alter the current situation on the ground. Accordingly, "upgraded" Soviet-era T-72s were being dispatched to Ukraine by NATO member states.
Earlier reports revealed how Russia's accomplishments when it comes to demolishing Western armored vehicles utilized by Ukraine's military have been worrying both the American and European supporters of Kiev. With the Russian Army using, for example, its Kornet-model anti-tank units to wreck Western armor, a US outlet stated that it is no wonder the US has long been wary of sending much-hyped M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Losses of these vehicles on the battlefield would have been humiliating for the US military-industrial complex.
Now, it is believed that Ukraine has finally received 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks from the US. When their delivery was announced, Moscow responded by saying that, "[Abrams] too will burn."
Abrams armor will not be able to jumpstart Ukraine’s stalled offensive, experts told Sputnik, adding that the M1A1 would be a "death trap" when facing off against Russian military equipped with modern tank-killing weapons.
Watch Russian Forces Destroy German Leopard Tank in Zaporozhye Direction - Sputnik International, 1920, 02.11.2023
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