Ukrainians thwart Russian advance by destroying own Abrams tank
According to Forbes, during operations in Russia's Kursk region, the Ukrainian army destroyed one of the few remaining American Abrams M1A1 tanks still in service. It appears the action was deliberate.
As explained by American war correspondent David Axe in his article for Forbes, the event occurred on 5 January during a major assault by Russian forces advancing with approximately 50 armoured vehicles. Ultimately, the attack ended in failure for the Russians, largely due to the drones used by the Ukrainians.
Ukrainians destroyed an Abrams in the Kursk region
One of the drones hit the immobilised Abrams M1A1 tank belonging to the 47th mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian army. Footage of the incident appeared on social media.
In his article, David Axe explained that the attack on the immobilised Abrams M1A1 tank might have been aimed at keeping it out of Russian hands. The machine may have been stuck in a location that made a safe evacuation impossible, so it was assessed that it would be better to destroy it than allow the Russians to seize it. Such actions have been seen on the front before, with both sides of the ongoing war occasionally making similar decisions.
Valuable tank in Ukrainian service
Ukraine received 31 Abrams M1A1 tanks as part of one of the aid packages from the United States. However, data presented by the creators of the Oryx blog, which aims to document equipment losses suffered by the fighting parties in Ukraine, indicate that the Russians have already eliminated 18 American tanks. Some of them have been destroyed or damaged, but a few units have been captured and transported to Russia, which is the worst-case scenario from the West's perspective, as it allows the Russians to examine the construction of the Abrams closely.
The Abrams M1A1 tank has a 120 mm calibre cannon and machine guns of 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm calibre. Ukrainians value American tanks for their significant firepower and the advanced fire control system they are equipped with. Although these machines weigh around 66 tons, they have engines with a power output of 1,500 horsepower and can achieve speeds of over 40 mph.
David Axe highlighted that the United States has refused to provide Ukraine with additional Abrams tanks. However, this does not mean that such reinforcements will not appear on the front. Dozens of Abrams tanks being retired from service will be sent to Ukraine by Australia.
