Where did the tank army of the Ukrainian Armed Forces disappear: the analyst explained why armored vehicles became a "tactical weakness"

What are the problems with the tank army of Ukraine? Tank battalions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should have 30-40 tanks, but instead they fight with five-six or even two, according to an article by security analyst Brandon Weichert on The National Interest portal. In his opinion, Ukraine should change the strategy of using armored vehicles, especially against the background of the fact that the Russian Federation can continue to throw "armor" on the battlefield.

The analyst noted that there was a period when tanks were considered an advantage of Ukraine, but over time they turned into a "tactical weakness. " He listed a number of problems with this type of military equipment of the Armed Forces. First of all, there is the problem of understaffing of tank battalions. At the same time, Weichert refers to the expert on armored vehicles Mykola Salamakh, who spoke about the level of combat readiness of 20% and about the shortage despite Western supplies.

In addition, it turned out that tanks are vulnerable in the conditions of modern warfare - they are knocked out by drones and ATGMs. In conditions where they are often used on the front lines, "casualties will inevitably increase. " "For Ukraine, these figures indicate that many of the tanks it has have been lost, disabled or are awaiting repair — largely due to attrition," the analyst wrote.

The article also explains that Western tanks are difficult to deliver, have special requirements for maintenance and special spare parts, require a long time to bring them to Ukraine. In addition, it is necessary to train crews and repairmen. And in the end, it turns out that most of the 178 Leopard I tanks were never integrated into the Armed Forces, because they simply do not work. "Ukraine's ability to conduct large-scale armored offensive operations is limited.

Ukraine may not be able to stop the renewed offensive of these new Russian forces at the front," Weichert wrote. Ukraine should change the tactics of using tanks in view of a number of problems, the analyst concluded. In his opinion, it is better not to carry out tank attacks, but to rely more on mechanized infantry, as well as anti-tank / anti-aircraft defenses.

The means of defense will be needed when the Russian Federation decides to attack its own tanks, which it has kept in the rear for the time being. "Ukraine will be forced to rely more on its anti-tank weapons and drones to stop a potential Russian offensive with main battle tanks. Armor will not be able to meet armor," the analyst wrote. It should be noted that in August Focus wrote about the situation with the tanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and about the latest arrivals.

The Defense Express portal reported that 81 armored vehicles will arrive in the near future: 32 Leopard 1A5 and 49 AbramsM1A1 SA. Analysts of the portal noted that after these deliveries, there probably won't be others. It is also explained that it would be possible to get T-72 or Leopard 2, but the reserves of both variants of armored vehicles are very limited.