Kyiv withdrew Abrams tanks due to their vulnerability to Russian Armed Forces’ drones
Verkhovna Rada deputy Maksym Buzhanskyi confirmed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) withdrew American Abrams tanks from the battlefield due to their vulnerability to Russian drones, TASS reports
“For some reason, everyone was very excited by the news that we had withdrawn Abrams tanks from the front line. The nature of warfare has changed, obviously, armoured vehicles worth millions [of Dollars] are becoming an easy target for a drone for several thousand Dollars,” he noted.
The deputy stated that 31 American tanks became unsuitable for classical use, adding that the transfer of Abrams and Leopard tanks was carried out in order to ‘somehow increase the armour parity’ of the AFU.
Previously, The Associated Press, citing American officials, reported that the AFU had stopped using Abrams tanks supplied by the United States because of their vulnerability to Russian drones. It is noted that the United States is working with Ukraine to develop new tactics after the situation on the battlefield ‘changed substantially’ due to the active use of drones by Russian troops, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are unable to protect these tanks when they are quickly detected by Russian drones.
Earlier, The New York Times reported that Russia had disabled five Abrams tanks over the past two months. It is noted that at least three more tanks have been moderately damaged since the beginning of this year. On March 6th, Peter Suciu, a columnist for the US magazine The National Interest, described Ukraine as the ‘graveyard of tanks’ in the wake of the destruction in the conflict zone of Western armoured vehicles provided to Kyiv.
On April 2nd, Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that the AFU had lost more than 80,000 troops and 14,000 pieces of equipment, including over 1,200 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, since January.
