Ukraine withdraws American Abrams M1A1 tanks from the frontline line. One of the reasons is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by the Russian occupiers.
According to the Associated Press, citing two military sources, in January 2023, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received 31 Abrams tanks from the United States. They were used to break through the defenses of the enemy army.
During this time, however, the battlefield changed significantly - reconnaissance and strike drones began to be actively used everywhere.
This, in turn, made it difficult for Ukraine to defend the tanks. According to the agency, five out of a total of 31 tanks have already been lost.
According to a senior defense official, the proliferation of unmanned aerial vehicles on the battlefield means that "there is no longer open territory that you can just walk through without fear of being seen". That is why this military equipment has been moved off the front line.
"We will work with our Ukrainian partners and with other partners on the ground to help them think about how this can be used in this changed environment where everything is immediately visible," said Admiral Christopher Grady, Vice President of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A third US military official confirmed the move on condition of anonymity.
"If you think about how the battle plays out, mass armor in an environment with ubiquitous drones can be at risk," Grady explained, noting that tanks are still important.
It is quite possible that Ukraine will have to give way temporarily in some parts of the front line. This opinion was expressed by reserve major, veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Oleksiy Hetman.
"Will we be able to regain the territories we are now losing? Look, this offensive with great losses for the Russians is not even kilometers, but tens, hundreds of meters. So I don't think we should think of it as anything significant.
Yes, it is almost a positional war, but the Russians have concentrated almost everything they have there. And they are preparing to strengthen it even more", he emphasized.
Recently, the Ukrainian military, Ukraine's foreign partners, specialists and independent experts have warned that the Russian occupation forces are gathering forces for an offensive in certain parts of the front.