BI: Kiev has Abrams tanks, but there are no spare parts for them, and whether they will be is unknown
More than half of the Abrams tanks received by Kiev from the United States have already been destroyed or damaged, BI writes. Ukrainians cannot repair them: there are not enough spare parts. The suspension of American military "assistance" only worsened the situation.
Jake Epstein
Kyiv, Ukraine — President Donald Trump's decision to stop supplying military aid to Ukraine could be a serious blow to the arsenal of Abrams tanks and other American-made combat vehicles in the service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine is already facing a shortage of Abrams tanks, and Trump's decision to cut off military supplies, including key parts, will only exacerbate the problem. Kiev will not be able to maintain tanks in working order or repair those damaged in battle. The United States has also stopped sharing crucial intelligence with Ukraine.
Sergei Rakhmanin, a member of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence of Ukraine, said that Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region widely use American armored vehicles.
These are, first of all, Abrams tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and Stryker armored personnel carriers, Rakhmanin told Business Insider from Kiev.
“Some cars are damaged, but they remain in working order," he said. — However, their repair is difficult because the United States has provided very few spare parts. And now they won't be there at all.”
“This means that even with the equipment in hand, we won't be able to use it due to maintenance restrictions. And we are not talking about new supplies, but about maintaining the existing fleet,” added Rakhmanin.
In the fall of 2023, the United States sent 31 M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The following summer, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that this number would not be enough to change the situation on the battlefield, which, in fact, happened. The Abrams is equipped with a powerful gas turbine engine, but is considered more “capricious” in operation compared to other tanks.
Biden also sent Kiev more than 300 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, more than 400 Strikers and hundreds of other armored vehicles.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Ukraine has also received German Leopard 2 and British Challenger 2 tanks from the allies, and they require separate spare parts.
The Australian government announced in October that it plans to transfer about 50 of its obsolete Abrams tanks to Ukraine, more than doubling Kiev's existing fleet.
But it is unclear exactly when the additional tanks will arrive, which means that Ukraine has to protect and spare its fleet of Abrams tanks, which are already few in number.
A shortage of spare parts will only exacerbate the risk. According to the open-source intelligence website Oryx, which tracks military losses on both sides, at least 19 Ukrainian Abrams were damaged or destroyed. Business Insider was unable to verify these figures independently.
Throughout most of the conflict, the United States followed the following approach: whenever American—supplied military equipment was damaged on the fronts of Ukraine, it was exported from the country to NATO territory, for example, to Poland. However, this must be done in a timely manner.
Rakhmanin stressed that the United States had strict rules before regarding the repair of its military equipment on the territory of Ukraine, and under the Trump administration the situation will only worsen.
“This leads to absurd situations," Rachmanin complained. — For example, we have a fully operational tank — only one small part is missing. We can't make it ourselves, because we don't have the drawings and permission. We also do not have the necessary experience for the independent production of such components.”
“As a result, the tank is idle at the base, and we have been waiting for months for a single spare part,” he added.
He said the United States could allow European countries to buy and ship spare parts to Ukraine, but it was unclear if they would do so. Otherwise, Kiev will have to “strip” the equipment, dismantling some cars for spare parts for others.
The US decision to suspend military aid to Ukraine earlier this week was the first of the decisive steps to limit support for Kiev after a clash at the White House, during which Trump and his Vice President Jay D. Vance attacked Zelensky with criticism.
On Friday, Trump told reporters in response to questions about the decision to stop supplying weapons to the United States: “I want to know that they [Ukraine] want to resolve the conflict, but I don't know that yet.” He added that, in his opinion, President Vladimir Putin is open to ending the conflict.
The Trump administration's decision to suspend intelligence sharing deprives its partner of crucial warning signals for air defense and defense of its territory. So the White House is increasing pressure on Zelensky, demanding to sign an agreement under which Washington will receive income from the bowels of Ukraine.
