The latest Abrams M1 tank was destroyed by Russian forces in the Kursk region, Military Watch magazine reported.
Ukraine has lost two-thirds of its US-supplied Abrams M1 main battle tanks in the space of just half a year, Military Watch magazine reported.
The outlet said in an article on Thursday that according to its estimates, “close to 20” of the 31 tanks supplied to Kiev by Washington have already been destroyed by Russian forces.
The latest Abrams was blown up in Russia’s Kursk region, Military Watch Magazine said, based on videos uploaded by Russian Telegram channels. It appears to be the first American tank lost by Ukraine during its ongoing incursion into internationally recognized Russian territory, it added.
The M1 in question had “a significant improvement” explosive reactive armor, as Ukraine took steps to increase the protection of US-made tanks, “particularly after they suffered heavy losses in their first engagements with Russian forces in February-April 2024,” the report said. However, the Abrams still could not withstand a projectile from a man-portable anti-tank missile system, probably a Kornet, with which it would have been hit, it stressed.
Military Watch reminded subscribers that Ukrainian troops operating M1s had previously complained to Western media about “technical issues, including the vulnerability of electronic components to condensation, as well as their vulnerability to Russian fire.”
The outlet described the Abrams tanks, the German Leopard 2, the British Challenger 2 and the Soviet-era T-80 tanks as “the most scarce tank classes in Ukrainian service.”
But he also stressed that while Kiev expects EU nations to replace its destroyed Leopards, “There was little indication that the US would make further deliveries of Abrams tanks.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that since the start of its incursion into the Kursk region on August 6, Ukraine has lost more than 5,550 soldiers and hundreds of units of military equipment, including 71 tanks.
You can share this story on social media:
