In battle near Mala Tokmachka on June 8, Armed Forces of Ukraine lost 25 units of Western equipment, - Forbes. PHOTO
The Ukrainian Armed Forces lost 17 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, 7 Leopard tanks and a Wisent armoured personnel carrier in the battle. The equipment cannot be evacuated because of mines.
This is stated in the Forbes publication, Censor.NET reports.
"The attempt of the Ukrainian 47th Airborne Assault Brigade and 33rd Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Army to cross the minefield in southern Ukraine on 8 June was even more disastrous than we thought," the publication says.
The publication analysed photos of damaged and destroyed equipment near Mala Tokmachka. It concluded that 25 pieces of Ukrainian military equipment were destroyed there:
- 17 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles;
- 4 Leopard 2A6 tanks;
- 3 Leopard 2Rs tanks;
- Wisent armoured vehicle.
"The loss of one Wisent is not such a big problem for the Ukrainian army: it has dozens of vehicles at its disposal. But initially, the Ukrainians received only a hundred universal M-2s and 21 high-tech Leopard 2A6s with 55-calibre long-range guns. Finland handed over all six Leopard 2Rs to Ukraine," the article says.
Thus, in an hour or two of fighting, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost about a fifth of all their Bradleys and Leopards 2A6s, as well as half of their Leopards 2Rs. The US has already promised to send additional Bradleys to compensate for the losses. However, Ukraine's European allies have not yet sent more 2A6s Leopards because they simply do not exist in nature.
Forbes notes that the battle near Mala Tokmachka did not slow down the Ukrainian army's counter-offensive in the sector.
According to the Conflict Intelligence Team analyst, some of the equipment can be restored. It could be taken away and repaired. But it is very difficult to do so because the area is mined.
"There is no doubt that the battle of 8 June south of Mala Tokmachka was a disaster for the Ukrainian army," the newspaper concludes.
