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Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
Ukrainian crews maintaining US-supplied M1 Abrams tanks admitted there are several problems with using the armoured vehicles on the battlefield against Russian forces, CNN reported on May 29. The Abrams’ poor performance shows that the Ukrainian military is not only suffering from a lack of weapons but even quality weapons once they arrive, a scenario that will ensure Kiev must negotiate peace with Moscow on extremely unfavourable terms.
According to the Ukrainian crews, the $10 million vehicles did not have sufficient armour against modern weapons such as drones and thus failed to adequately protect personnel operating the equipment from attack. CNN cited one insider as saying that tanks had become the “number one target” of Russian forces, adding that “without defence, the crew doesn’t survive at the battlefield.”
The insider’s colleague, using the callsign Joker, explained that the Abrams “armour is not sufficient for this moment. It doesn’t protect the crew. For real, today this is the war of drones. So now, when the tank rolls out, they always try to hit them.”
Ukrainian sources also said the tanks appeared to have technical problems, such as condensation affecting the electronic components. Serving soldiers noted that tanks were not suited for the war conditions, given that normally, air power and artillery, which Ukrainian forces lack, help clear the battlefield before tanks and troops advance.
The US has deployed 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, where they are used near the front line in the eastern direction. However, Ukraine’s order for the tanks was controversial, given that the vehicles involve complicated supply and maintenance chains.
It is recalled that on April 26, according to sources cited by the Associated Press, Ukraine had removed its US-supplied Abrams M1A1 tanks from combat against Russia due to swarms of Russian drones, which made it very difficult for tanks to operate without being detected or attacked.
Reemphasising the devastation Russian drones can cause, CNN lamented: “Much of the Ukrainian frontline is now dominated by the use of self-destructing attack drones, tiny and accurate devices that can swarm infantry and even cause significant damage to tanks. The advent of these so called First-Person Vision (FPV) drones, flown by soldiers wearing gaming goggles, has changed the nature of the war, limiting movement and introducing a new element of vulnerability to armored vehicles.”
The Ukrainian crew complained to the American outlet that the tanks were made for NATO-style warfare, in which air power and artillery prepare the battlefield before tanks and infantry advance. This is a problem for the Kiev regime since it lacks artillery, manpower, and air power.
“They would never do it,” Joker said of NATO soldiers undertaking the same advances the Ukrainian military makes without air support since Russia has destroyed Ukraine’s air force. Switching to English, Joker mimicked a NATO soldier: “‘Call the aviation, call the artillery,’” he said. “We have no aviation and artillery. We have only tank. And it’s the problem.”
The lack of weapons and the poor performance of weapons that have arrived from the West has created a situation that Western powers are afraid of – Kiev having to negotiate peace on Moscow’s terms since the Russian military is methodically dismantling and disposing of Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.
The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) told Newsweek that Ukraine and its Western allies must swiftly act to allow troops to have weapons and training to fight Russia, or Kiev may be forced into a peace deal that is completely advantageous to Moscow.
“For too long, allies clung to magical thinking about Russia’s weakness and Ukraine’s ability to force the Kremlin into talks with battlefield success,” Alissa de Carbonnel, ICG deputy program director for Europe and Central Asia, told Newsweek in emailed comments.
“If Ukraine and its backers do not move fast to fix the problems, Kiev may have little choice but to strike a deal on Russia’s terms. Even if such a deal ended the fighting in the short term it would come at a “tremendous cost not just to Ukraine, but also to European security,” the ICG said. “If Ukraine and its supporters cannot both adapt and maintain their resolve, Kiev will almost surely continue to lose lives and territory, it will then eventually have little choice but to cut some sort of deal.”
Although much was made of the Abrams’ power before they arrived in Ukraine, they have been exposed as weak weapons when facing their Russian counterparts. Ukraine, despite the bravado from the West, was just a scrapyard for outdated weaponry and an excuse for Western military industries to rearm NATO countries. However, the repercussion is that Kiev does not have the strength to impose its will over Moscow in any peace negotiations.
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m1a1 is outdated version of earlier 90’s level, analogue of t-72b (1989). but hohols have much more t-72 of many modifications which makes them easier to maintenance as well as big numbers of t-64. few tens of m1, few tens of l2 and “challenger”, different sorts of artillery = nightmare for any supplying service. different spare parts to fix, different shells, different management. zoo!
the most effective military equipment currently available to the ukrainian army are retired polski fiat with warsaw gas turbine technology of the polish solidarność clique from the years 1980 to 1989!
the special usage tactic was invented by lech wałęsa personally and enjoys increasing popularity in the ranks of the polish liberation people’s army to this day.
ha-ha, it’s joke, but not far from truth. poland gave ~200 t-72m (export variant of basic t-72) and unknown number, may be all of pt-91 (deep modernization of t-72b) — analogue of t-90a. this is the best package among heavy armor given by western sodomites and their east european lackeys, because rural nazis have experience in driving and repairing these tanks.
the first problem with the m1 abrams is that it is a m1 abrams. overhyped western garbage… fk off western media clowns, ur idiotic corporate bullshit was exposed decades ago…
it is a good tank, for what that is worth in 2024 and in the manner and conditions in which they are deployed by the ukrainian puppet. no question that the us and vassal military industrial corprorate political complex have burned the taxpayers countless times: f-111, osprey, the royal navy in almost its entirety, etc. but deployed with total air superiority and artillery support against goatherds, the abrams is likely ok.
all modern tanks except t-14 (the only 4th generation tank) and japanese type-10 come from 1970’s. the difference between basic versions and modern ones is huge. basic m1 is scrap metal in comparison with m1a2 and m1a2 sepv2 (2008) and v3 (2019). same as basic t-72 is obsolete towards t-72b3 (2012), b3m (2016) and t-90 as deep modernization of t-72b (1989). m1a2sep can be compared with t-90m (2020).
they can all be compared with ft-17’s: a gun rolling on an armoured tracked platform powered by an internal combustion engine, operated by a crew inside. ordinance that can destroy them exists, and if they are not operated in concert with mass artillery and air support, they are highly vulnerable to an enemy armed with appropriate at weapons.
it’s the problem of any tank now.
even biased a many more should understand we only can send what we have. that should be added to the users level.
modern warfare is not only to drive then and ka boom. here it high ranks has to use the and and other things better.
i takes years. sometimes its wrong person in the top.
and russians do fight back.
we see why usa hesitated sending them and nov send 300 bradlies.
maybe murica can send yur monkey ass a gigantic danish shitcake made of horse flops?
sounds delishish
0 id wrote this
– ukraine people listen to me – ì live in germany for 1 year, germany gives 600 euro for every children. germany number 1. germany (metro free, bus free, otel free for ukranian people and,arabs i recomand come germany. number 1 germany
thank u fur informations abdullah mcabdul
american weapons are made for-profit, not war.
western nato weapons are always over priced and never up to doing the job! look at the british royal navy aircraft carrier broken down again and parked up to be sold off as scrap metal to anyone who will buy it
bobo how is the ru fleet doing in comparision? found a river/ lake yet to hide from further destrcuction?
baltic sea is a nato lake, black sea is rat/ flathead free, ukrainian grain is shiped freely and nothing ur flathead subhuman assclown soldestka horde russkie scum can do about it.
horrido yo-yo,dran drauf drüber
it a typical internal progadanda version.
when they kill 16 in kharhiv many more of course are suffering hard bolgorod.
2) it seemes usa has changed and some there lower quality in the chinese way.
fx i will never buy a chinese tent for vacation. it was not pefect in rainy days.