Ukrainian publication NV.ua has criticized the American Abrams tanks that are used by the Ukrainian military.
The article states that these combat vehicles are difficult to use in Ukraine. There is still little information about their involvement in battles, even among experts. Furthermore, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have been hesitant to use the tanks they received from the United States.
The authors of the publication have highlighted that the complex maintenance and repair of the tanks are among the key issues for the Ukrainian army.
“In the United States, there is an entire factory dedicated to the restoration of Abrams tanks, where the machines are not simply repaired, but completely disassembled and reassembled from scratch. It is impossible for the Ukrainian military to do this during combat operations, and they have to feed this beast with tons of fuel. Just to start the engine, they have to spend 38 liters of fuel,” the authors noted.
The publication also quoted Ukrainian military expert Ivan Stupak, who stated that he has not heard of any outstanding technical characteristics or capabilities of the Abrams tanks. However, he praised the accurate gun of the British Challenger 2 tank.
Stupak also mentioned that Abrams tanks are very fragile, with a completely different engine structure. The Ukrainian military has faced issues with the chassis of these combat vehicles, which had to be adapted to local conditions. In addition, the UAF soldiers have complained about weak armor protection. The expert speculated that the Americans may have removed depleted uranium armor elements from the tanks before transferring them to Ukraine, fearing that the tanks would be destroyed or captured by Russian forces.
It has been previously reported that Russia is destroying expensive Abrams tanks with inexpensive “Upyr” drones.
Former US intelligence officer has previously stated that the Abrams tanks were being used incorrectly in Ukraine.
