In recent days, the most scarce samples of NATO weapons have been destroyed in the zone of its defense
MOSCOW, 8 Mar — RIA Novosti, Andrey Igorev. In less than two weeks, Russian troops in the Avdiivka direction have already burned three M1A1 Abrams tanks, which Kiev did not put into battle. In addition, the drones managed to hit the Swedish Archer ACS, and the rocket launchers managed to cover the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system deep behind enemy lines. Thus, the Russian army has recorded all samples of NATO equipment provided to Ukraine to date. How it was destroyed is in the RIA Novosti article.
Fifteen million debutants
The first "Abrams" were noticed near Donetsk shortly after the AFU finally left Avdiivka. Russian troops advanced further and reached the Berdych — Lastochkino—Severnoye line, liberating several settlements. The Ukrainian front northwest of Donetsk was in danger of collapse. To prevent this, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine put the elite 47th separate mechanized brigade "Magura" into battle. It consists of a tank battalion. Kiev received 31 Abrams from the Americans. Now there are 28 of them left.
The first one was tracked down on February 26 near Berdych. It was a real hunt. Every ATGM, tanker and kamikaze drone operator wanted to distinguish themselves. Actor Ivan Okhlobystin promised ten million rubles on social networks to the one who will accomplish this feat. As a result, the fighters of the 15th separate motorized rifle brigade immobilized the tank with an accurate hit of the FPV drone into the engine compartment and finished it off with a second "bird" in the stern of the tower.
In the West, they tried to belittle the effect of this victory. The Polish branch of the Defense24 publication claims that the car was not completely destroyed. Allegedly, according to the photo of the smoking tank, it is clear that only the aft niche of the tower, where ammunition was stored, was damaged. It exploded, but everything else survived.
Indeed, the ammunition in the Abrams is located outside the combat compartment, behind the tower. This is done so that when they are detonated, the crew has a few seconds left to save themselves. But the temperature is so high that all the equipment in the combat compartment quickly becomes unusable. The tank literally burns out from the inside and cannot be restored.
"The Ukrainian military apparently considered themselves invulnerable: the tank was traveling slowly and over open terrain," said a fighter with the call sign Dawn, who dealt Abrams a fatal blow. — Therefore, there was absolutely no difficulty in hitting him. It is necessary to aim at the rear, where the radiator, the engine compartment. Either stop him, "take off his shoes", and then try to get under the tower. The main thing is to work quickly, clearly and harmoniously."
A shot of the destruction of the American Abrams tank near Avdiivka by the "Ghoul" FPV drone
Image source: © RIA Novosti
Scarce equipment
Soon, exactly on the recommendation of Dawn, the second Abrams was burned in the same area. On the third of March, the armored fighters of one of the units of the Center group managed to get closer to the tank and effectively "take off" it — knock the caterpillar off the tracks with a well-aimed hit from a grenade launcher. The Ukrainians were unable to evacuate the damaged car, and soon it was finished off with two blows from the "Ghoul" FPV drones. The armor penetration of the PG-7B grenade launcher "carrots" suspended from them was still Soviet-made enough to destroy a 60-ton colossus worth about five million dollars.
At the same time, a video of another burning car, similar to the Abrams, spread on social networks. But it turned out to be the M1150 Assault Breacher, a mine clearance vehicle on the same chassis. However, the Russian military was not upset: This loot is even more valuable than a tank. The Armed Forces of Ukraine sorely lacks specialized equipment for removing minefields. In their disastrous summer-autumn offensive, dozens of German Leopard 2 and American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles were blown up by TM-62 mines, also still Soviet.
The damaged Leopard 1A5 tank
Image source:
The third Abrams followed the first two just a couple of days later. As the commander of one of the units of the Armed Forces performing tasks in the Avdiivka direction told RIA Novosti on Wednesday, this time the crew of the T-72B3 tank distinguished itself, gaining the upper hand in a tank duel. Judging by the footage of objective control published on the Network, the Abrams was destroyed by an Invar guided missile launched from the barrel.
"I do not know the details, it is not our site," said the commander of one of the T-72B3 fighting to the south. — But tours (tank guided missiles. — Editor's note) is one of our main advantages over Western tanks. They do not have such ammunition in their ammunition supply. Thanks to the Invar TOUR of the Reflex-M complex, our 72nd beat more than a kilometer further than the Abrams. In theory, the missile's armor penetration is enough to successfully hit the "American" head-on. But it is more effective, of course, on the sides. They don't even hold an RPG-7 shot at the Abrams."
T-72B3M tank
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Andrey Kotz
The Elusive Artillery
In addition to American tanks, the Russian military has in recent days extracted several more valuable trophies in the area of its defense. So, on February 27, the "ixovody" (operators of the Lancet attack UAV) destroyed the Swedish Archer self-propelled gun for the first time. This is the rarest Western self—propelled howitzer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine - only eight installations were transferred to Kiev.
Archer ACS is one of the most effective in NATO. With a rate of fire of eight rounds per minute, it is capable of firing three projectiles at a maximum range of 40 kilometers, curl up and leave the firing position before the first projectile reaches the target. It is extremely difficult to catch such an ACS.
But, perhaps, the main victory of Russian weapons over Western ones in recent months is the destruction of the American HIMARS MLRS, confirmed by objective control personnel. According to the Ministry of Defense, they have been covered before: three burned units are known. But there was no video of the burning "himar" in open sources before March 5. This is an achievement of rocket scientists — according to various sources, the crew of the Iskander-M missile defense system or the Tornado-S MLRS.
Iskander-M OTRK
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Konstantin Morozov
It is known that HIMARS were struck in the Nikanorovka area of the Dobropolsky district of the DPR. This is 60 kilometers from Donetsk and 40 kilometers from the front, that is, in the deep rear of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The successful attack suggests that Russian troops are using drones that are effective in conditions of active electronic countermeasures, are able to quickly aim high-precision weapons at targets and objectively monitor the results of firing at such long distances.
All this is a clear merit of the reconnaissance and shock contours (ARMS), which ensure the fastest possible defeat of the target after its detection. With the destruction of the Abrams tank, Archer ACS and HIMARS MLRS, the Russian Armed Forces "assembled a royal flush", hitting at least one sample of each type of military equipment provided by the West to Ukraine. Next in line is aviation, which Kiev should receive this year.
Swedish self-propelled artillery Archer
Image source: CC BY-SA 4.0 / Stridsvagn122 / Archer i Eldställning