Ukrainian soldiers awaiting new US aid to Russia
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5 months ago
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Ukrainian crews working on U.S.-supplied Abrams tanks have told CNN of a number of weaknesses and defects with the armor, calling into question their usefulness on the war's ever-changing front lines.

The donation was announced by US President Joe Biden as evidence of the "sustainable and unwavering commitment of the United States to Ukraine".

German-trained crews said the vehicles — the US military's $10 million main battle tank used in Iraq against Saddam Hussein's forces and insurgents — lacked armor that could stop modern weapons.

"His armor is not enough for the moment," said a crew member named Joker. "It doesn't protect the crew. In fact, today this is the drone war. So now, when the tank comes out, they always try to hit them."

His colleague, Dnipro, added that they are "target number one". "Without protection, the crew does not survive on the battlefield," he said.

The crew told CNN of their efforts to install active armor on a damaged tank. They used plastic explosive plates that, when hit by a bullet, explode and provide a defensive counter-explosion.

All 31 Abrams deployed to Ukraine are deployed near the front line in the east, according to officials in the 47th Mechanized Brigade, which received all of them.

Ukraine's request for Abrams, complex and heavy tanks, sparked significant debate in early 2023, as the American vehicle has a complex supply chain. Some versions even run on jet fuel.

Pentagon officials said in April that the Abrams had been pulled from the front lines because of the threat of Russian attack drones, although the 47th said some were still operational despite the deficiencies that had materialized.

Much of Ukraine's frontline is now dominated by the use of self-destructing attack drones, small, precise devices that can swarm infantry and even inflict significant damage on tanks.

The advent of First-Person Vision drones, piloted by soldiers wearing gaming goggles, has changed the nature of warfare, limiting movement and introducing a new element of vulnerability to armored vehicles.

NATO would "never use" the Abrams tank the way the Ukrainian military should, a Ukrainian soldier who goes by the name "Joker" said.

The Ukrainian crew expressed frustration that the tanks were designed for a NATO style of warfare in which airpower and artillery prepare the battlefield before tanks and infantry advance. Kiev has long lamented its lack of artillery and air power.

"They would never do that," Joker said, of NATO soldiers making the same advances they do without air support. He switched to English to imitate a NATO soldier: "Call the air force, call the artillery," he said. "We don't have aviation and artillery. We only have a tank. And that's the problem."

A spokesperson from the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told CNN that "Ukraine is now testing and upgrading equipment that was not originally prepared for war."

"We are asking all countries to support us with equipment of any level of technical capacity. We use them all accordingly,” the spokesperson added.

Biden's decision to supply the Abrams came after European allies pledged to send their battle tanks in early 2023 ahead of Ukraine's failed summer counteroffensive last year, a step that had been considered unthinkable months earlier.

For the crew of the Abrams, any delay in equipment or assistance costs the lives of friends. "I just have one question," Joker said about US aid. "Why is it taking so long and (coming) partially? We are wasting time. It is death to us.”

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