Ukraine has stopped using Abrams tanks given to it by the Americans because Russian drone activity has made them too vulnerable on the battlefield, the Associated Press (AP) news agency quoted US military officials as saying.
“For now, the tanks have been withdrawn from the front lines and the US will work with the Ukrainians to change tactics,” said Admiral Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a Defense Department official who confirmed the move on condition of anonymity.
The widespread use of drones on the battlefield means that “there is no open terrain that you can just drive through without fear of detection,” said another unnamed senior Pentagon official.
At the end of September 2023, the strategic communications coordinator of the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the first shipment of American Abrams tanks had arrived in Ukraine, and Washington had promised Kiev a total of 31 combat vehicles.
As the American media admitted, at least five Abrams tanks were destroyed in Ukraine in the last two months. In addition, Russian warplanes shot down dozens of German Leopard tanks, several British Challengers and French AMX-10RC tanks.
