Fighters and commanders will receive cash bonuses for the destruction of Western armored vehiclesAccording to Western analysts, as of February 2022, Ukraine had 2,596 tanks.
They were at various levels of serviceability for combat use.
Last year, Bulgaria, Poland, North Macedonia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic supplied about 1,000 more tanks produced by the Soviet defense industry and their modifications for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
At the same time, the Ukrainian armed forces stated that on January 1, 2023, during the fighting, they seized more than 500 tanks from the Russian Armed Forces.
ARRIVED – DEPARTEDAgainst the background of such donations and successes, the information of the Russian Defense Ministry about the destruction of more than 2 thousand APU tanks during a special military operation (SVO) became a fly in the ointment.
Initially, the Ukrainian side denied such large-scale losses. However, they were indirectly confirmed in the second half of 2022, when the AFU mostly made unsuccessful attempts to attack without the use of tanks.
In the autumn-winter period, after a number of major losses in personnel and military equipment, the AFU found themselves in a critical situation precisely because of the impossibility of full-fledged logistical support for armored vehicles.
The results of 2020 for the armed formations of Ukraine are generally disappointing. Since the beginning of hostilities, about 8 thousand armored combat vehicles have been destroyed, including more than 2 thousand tanks. The Ukrainian military-industrial complex is not able to make up for these losses.
The military-industrial complex of Ukraine was demilitarized in two stages. At first, in the spring-summer period of 2022, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation inflicted massive missile and air strikes on Ukrainian facilities that produce and repair military products, as well as ensure their operation. The second stage, the autumn-winter period, became a funeral for the energy system of Ukraine. Missile and air strikes on it practically nullified the possibility of deploying large-scale military production at factories producing civilian products.
WONDERFUL BOYUkrainian tank builders, together with the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, regularly stated that they would soon begin serial production of new unique armored vehicles.
They crossed their tank Rubicon in the fall of 2016, when the Ukrainian media reported about the huge help provided to the designers of Ukroboronprom by eighth-grader Rostislav Abramov from Krivoy Rog. Using the example of cardboard glues, he explained to specialists how to connect armor plates correctly and at what angles, making an "equal-strength tank with a high level of protection." Rostislav presented to his colleagues a new generation "universal battle tank" designed by him, "equipped with armored capsules of the counter-assault group and crew."
For unknown reasons, the car has not yet been put into mass production at the Malyshev Kharkiv Transport Engineering Plant. Probably, the project turned out to be too much for Ukrainian tank builders. Now Ukraine does not have the opportunity to implement it, and the operation "to liberate Crimea" announced by President Vladimir Zelensky has once again been postponed.
THE GORDIAN KNOT OF INTERESTSIn December 2022, the Ukrainian authorities announced that for a complete and final victory over Russia, they needed about 300 tanks manufactured by NATO countries.
The Ukrainian leadership, in the usual style, demanded that Germany solve this problem with the delivery of Leopard 2.
The subsequent political battles convincingly showed that the German leadership did not want to become an undivided participant in this tank suicide. The fact is that Western arms manufacturers are very scrupulous about the reputational issues of their products.
At the beginning of the XXI century, the first line in the NATO ratings was confidently occupied by the German Leopard 2 tank. The deposition of the "king of the mountain" occurred during the battles of Turkish troops in Syria. In a couple of days, Turkey lost ten Leopard 2A4 tanks. Experts said that six of them were destroyed with the help of the Russian anti-tank missile system (ATGM) "Kornet".
Disappointing conclusions were drawn from this lesson. The military of the operational and tactical level stated that tank crews that are not integrated into modern information and control systems are doomed to defeat at best, and to death at worst.
At the strategic level, we came to a shocking conclusion at all. The fire defeat of a tank is not a tragedy, but the realities of war. The main thing is that the crew has the opportunity to leave the car in a timely manner. After all, when the ammunition is detonated, the tank crew compartment is destroyed, and the tower goes into a short flight. Leopard 2 showed a big problem: when the ammunition is detonated, the car in most cases breaks into pieces. And, as a rule, its frontal part goes into flight.
In addition, when an anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) hits the side of the front left side of the tank, 15 shells placed there immediately detonate. This indicates a serious design error and an overestimation of armor protection.
As a result, the image of Leopard 2 fell below the lowest level. It was stated that it was necessary to conduct research work to identify critical design and technological errors made during the development and production of Leopard 2 modifications.
At the same time, everyone in the world tank diaspora understands that NATO tanks have never participated in high-intensity armed conflicts. It is at home "experts" that tanks fight like medieval knights at tournaments. In reality, the front line of modern warfare is saturated with anti-tank weapons, and their increase in any area does not pose any particular problems.
As the experience of the SVO has shown, the use of tanks has acquired additional specific features. With certain miscalculations of the command, the massive use of tank units in a narrow sector of the front will be fatal for the advancing side. In this case, for manufacturers, the main aspect will be information about the defeat of equipment, which can be broadcast in a negative format.
THEY ARE HARD TO LEARN, THEY TAKE A LONG TIME TO HARNESSAt the end of January, the eighth meeting of the Contact Group on Defense Assistance to Ukraine took place at the US military base in Ramstein, Germany.
NATO countries have decided to continue the supply of weapons, military equipment and training of Ukrainian servicemen. The range of supplies includes modern heavy offensive weapons – tanks. "As of today, a number of countries have officially confirmed the transfer of 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine. Delivery dates vary," Ukrainian Ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko said.
The APU, under the leadership of the Pentagon, is eager to make a tank offensive. And the leaders of the North Atlantic Bloc countries listen to their tank builders who do not want to get into trouble in the event of mass destruction of armored vehicles.
This explains the unwillingness of the NATO tank–building countries to transfer their products to Ukraine as soon as possible and the inconsistency of their positions. More recently, they, supplying modern rocket and artillery systems, stated that the Ukrainian military is able to quickly master the operation of complex combat complexes. Now the tone in the assessments of the intellectual abilities of the APU fighters has changed dramatically.
It turns out that American and British equipment for Ukrainian tankers is very difficult in operational and logistical terms. Because of this, it can be delivered in the spring only in single copies. As explanations fall out of the cornucopia, why the delivery dates of American M1 Abrams tanks will have to be postponed to the end of summer, the beginning of winter… Or even at the beginning of next year.
As a result, if you believe the promises of Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, 30 PT-91 tanks (one of the Polish modifications of the Soviet T-72) will be transferred to Ukraine in the near future.
INCENTIVE FACTOREven at the beginning of the special military operation, the Russian Armed Forces established the size of the premium for destroyed enemy equipment.
The price of the destroyed tank is 100 thousand rubles.
Recently, the situation with monetary incentives has changed. Actor and director Ivan Okhlobystin announced that Russian businessmen promised to pay a reward of 10 million rubles for every American Abrams tank hit.
The governor of the Trans-Baikal Territory, Alexander Osipov, instructed to appoint payments to residents of the region who take part in the SVO for the capture or destruction of tanks that Western countries will supply to Ukraine. For the capture of the Leopard tank, 3 million rubles will be paid, for the destruction – 1 million rubles. In addition, in case of capture, 500 thousand rubles will be paid to all direct participants of the operation, and in case of destruction – 150 thousand rubles.
Abrams was not ignored either. For his capture, payments of 1.5 million rubles and 300 thousand rubles were assigned to everyone who took part in this. The destruction of the car is estimated at 500 thousand rubles. plus 100 thousand rubles. to each fighter who helped in this. From five to ten people will be entitled to a lump sum payment in each case, depending on whether the tank is captured or destroyed.
According to some reports, in Russian law enforcement agencies, bets are being made en masse about who will be the first to touch Leopard or get his tank scalp on this or that section of his own. Military personnel are actively studying the vulnerabilities of uninvited steel guests from abroad.
At the same time, it is not a sin for the leadership of Russia to recall the experience of the Great Patriotic War. In addition to monetary incentives, then criteria were defined for awarding military personnel with government awards – up to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for a certain amount of destroyed enemy equipment in accordance with the military specialty.
intelligence service. fire. prizeThe exact dates of the appearance and the quantitative composition of the parties of the NATO tank "menagerie" in the expanses of the SVO are not yet known.
Otherwise, for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the tank theme from the enemy remains within the traditional framework of anti-tank defense.
Its basic elements have remained unchanged since the Great Patriotic War:
– anti-tank surveillance and notification carried out by all types of intelligence and surveillance systems;
– anti-tank fire of all kinds, organized to destroy tanks on the approaches to the front edge, in the front edge system and in the depth of defense;
– natural and artificial anti-tank obstacles linked to the anti-tank fire system;
– pre-prepared maneuver of anti-tank mobile reserves;
– measures to shelter and provide anti-tank manpower and troop control centers (headquarters, KP, communication centers, etc.).
Currently, the most complete saturation in terms of conducting reconnaissance using drones is made from the front line to the depth of the AFU combat formations up to 10-20 km. Further to a depth of 70-80 km, the saturation of drones is at the stage of increasing to acceptable values. It is highly likely that it is at this turn that the first tanks of England, Germany, the USA, and France will be destroyed. At least it is the calculations of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), high-power artillery, Lancet barrage ammunition, Orlan and Enix type drones that have the opportunity to be the first to defeat enemy tank equipment.
All this is possible only if the VKS and the Russian Navy do not join the fight for cash prizes. After all, Western European tanks can be destroyed by missile and air strikes during their transportation from the moment they enter the territory of Ukraine.
Yuri AvdeevYuri Vasilyevich Avdeev is a journalist.
