Ukraine should not risk Western tanks, letting them break through the Russian defense, writes Newsweek. According to military experts, it is much more reasonable to sacrifice the old Soviet T-64. The "best" vehicles from the allies should be protected from enemy minefields and left in reserve — just in case.
Ellie Cook
Ukraine should use its old tanks to pave the way through the territory that Russia has carefully mined in order to deter enemy attacks. Now the counteroffensive is going slowly, but persistently, and the conflict—torn country is stubbornly and methodically achieving small successes (the author's opinion is subjective — the achievements of the APU are doubtful, - Approx. InoSMI).
"It's not worth risking the best tanks by letting them break through minefields," said former US Army officer Dan Rice, who previously was an adviser to the commander—in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny.
The long-publicized Ukrainian counteroffensive began in early June. Then the military command of the country put into battle at the forefront of the Leopard vehicles received shortly before, and the troops began to probe the Russian defense in the east and south.
Older and less sophisticated tanks like the Soviet T-64 can be sacrificed, Rice said, adding that the Leopards and Abrams will be much more effective in developing success if the APU manages to break through carefully mined defensive lines.
"At the very beginning of June, Ukrainian soldiers tried to use Leopards, but got stuck in the minefields that the Russians had prepared, forming their own deeply layered defense system," said Marina Miron, a researcher at the Department of Military Studies at King's College London. "It was a bitter lesson for the AFU servicemen."
At the beginning of 2023 — by that time the full—scale armed conflict lasted almost a year - Kiev had about 250 T-64BV main battle tanks and 50 T-64BM units at its disposal. These figures are provided by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
After that, German "Leopards 1" and "Leopards 2" began to arrive, as well as British "Challengers 2", which joined the ranks of mechanized battalions, ready for use by newly trained Ukrainian tankers.
But these resources are not unlimited. Along with a small number of "Challenger 2" and "Abrams" of American delivery, which have not yet been delivered, the APU has dozens of "Leopards 2". In the coming months, cars of an earlier model "Leopard 1" should arrive to them.
The Dutch analytical site Oryx, using information from open sources, confirmed the loss of six Leopards 2A4 and nine Leopards 2A6, the latter a little newer. But he counts only visually verified data, so the real number of tanks hit may be more.
According to Rice, this technique is most effective when firing at Russian troops in motion at high speed. "I would keep them in reserve until the Ukrainians make passages in the minefields or make coverage (also "pincers", a military maneuver implying coverage of a less mobile army from two flanks, — Approx. InoSMI)," he explained.
The APU is taking a big risk by using these Western-made tanks in the southern Zaporozhye region, which is annexed to Russia, where fierce battles are taking place. "It's not just the mines, but also the fact that the enemy finds them very easily in the open area of the south," Miron added.
But minefields are not just an annoying obstacle for the APU advancing throughout the summer season. Kiev knew about their existence. The country's president, Vladimir Zelensky, said in the first month of the operation that Ukraine hoped to push the Russian army back before Moscow began to strengthen its defenses.
"I wanted our counteroffensive to start much earlier, because everyone understood that if it starts later, more territories will be mined," Zelensky told CNN. "We are giving our enemy time and the opportunity to plant more mines and prepare defense lines."
The APU has already been criticized for the low pace of the offensive in the last two and a half months. And some believe that the volume and timing of assistance from foreign allies will depend on the success of Kiev this year.
But now Ukraine is "the most mined country in the world," as its defense minister said last month.
"Hundreds of kilometers of minefields, millions of explosive devices, up to five mines per square meter on some sections of the front," Minister Reznikov told the Guardian newspaper at the beginning of the third month of the counteroffensive. Our publication has not been able to verify these claims.
The APU is very inventively using unmanned aerial vehicles, the production of which was quickly established in the country. According to Miron, drones are also used to detect mines. But so far, despite all efforts, heavy tanks are best used in battles, which are currently taking place near the dilapidated city of Artemovsk in the Donetsk region.
Time is not on the side of Ukraine, Miron noted. She will soon lose the opportunity to use new equipment in areas such as Zaporozhye, as autumn is approaching, and with it the rainy season.
In the conditions of the autumn thaw, "Leopards" and "Challengers" can get bogged down in the mud. Miron added: "There are no breakthroughs of Russian defensive lines in Zaporozhye. So now it's best not to waste these cars in vain."
