Russian forces have removed Ukraine's M1150 assault breacher vehicle (ABV), an armored minefield and obstacle breaching system based on the chassis of the M1 Abrams tank, from the battlefield, a Sputnik correspondent has reported.
The US-supplied ABV was earlier seized by soldiers of the Tsentr (Center) Battlegroup, who managed to "blind" the vehicle by destroying its optics with the help of a first-person view (FPV) drone strike, a Tsentr officer with call sign Volsk told Sputnik.
"After being 'blinded', the M1150 changed direction and drove into a minefield, where it was blown up," the officer said. He described the 70-ton ABV as a vehicle that "gets stuck in our black soil," which is why it cannot be used in the special military operation.
In a separate development, Tsentr soldiers seized a M88A2 Hercules heavy equipment recovery combat utility lift and evacuation system, another piece of US military equipment supplied to the Ukrainian military.
Like the ABV, the 63-ton Hercules, designed specifically to retrieve Abrams tanks, was hit by a Russian FPV drone in the Avdeyevka area. The key town of Avdeyevka was liberated from Ukrainian nationalists by Russian forces in February.
The Pentagon had been tight-lipped about reports that the Ukrainian Army had withdrawn US-supplied Abrams tanks from the front line because of threats from Russian unmanned aerial vehicles up until now, with Washington breaking the silence this week.
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Christopher Grady, for his part, confirmed that for now, the tanks "have been moved from the front lines, and the US will work with the Ukrainians to reset tactics."
The US, along with its NATO allies, ramped up military supplies to Ukraine shortly after the start of the Russian special military operation. Moscow has repeatedly warned that such assistance only prolongs the Ukrainian conflict.
Meanwhile, 30 pieces of Ukraine’s Western military equipment captured by Russian forces will be on display in Moscow as of May 1. These include the M113 armored personnel carrier, as well as Bradley and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.