Military Watch Magazine reported that the most recent Abrams M1 tank has been destroyed by Russian forces in the Kursk Region of Russia.
Military Watch Magazine reported that Ukraine has lost two-thirds of its Abrams M1 main battle tanks provided by the United States in just half a year. According to the outlet’s estimates, approximately 20 out of the 31 tanks supplied by Washington to Kiev have been destroyed by Russian forces.
Military Watch Magazine reported that the latest Abrams was destroyed in Russia’s Kursk Region based on videos uploaded by Russian Telegram channels. It also stated that this appears to be the first American tank destroyed by Ukraine during its incursion into territory recognized internationally as belonging to Russia.
The report stated that the destroyed M1 had “a significantly improved” explosive reactive armor, as Ukraine took measures to enhance the protection of the US-made tanks, “particularly after they took heavy losses in their first engagements with Russian forces in February-April 2024,”. However, the Abrams still could not withstand a projectile from a handheld anti-tank missile system, likely a Kornet, which it was reportedly hit with, the report stressed.
Military Watch reminded its readers that Ukrainian troops operating the M1s had previously complained to Western media about “technical issues, including vulnerability of electronic components to condensation, as well as their vulnerability to Russian fire.”
The outlet categorized the Abrams, the German Leopard 2, the British Challenger 2, and the Soviet-era T-80 tanks as “the scarcest tank classes in Ukrainian service.”
But it also noted that, while Kiev expects a replacement for its destroyed Leopards from the EU nations, “there have been few indications that the US could make further deliveries of Abrams tanks.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated on Saturday that, since the beginning of its incursion into Kursk Region on August 6, Ukraine has already lost over 5,550 troops and hundreds of units of military equipment, including 71 tanks.