MOSCOW (Agencies): In the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Russian military has reportedly destroyed the first US-made M1 Abrams main battle tank supplied to Kiev’s forces, according to multiple Russian Telegram channels.
Footage circulating online appears to show the vehicle with a large column of fire rising from its turret. The tank was reportedly targeted by a FPV suicide drone and sustained at least one hit from a shoulder-mounted anti-tank grenade launcher. The attack reportedly took place near the village of Berdychi, located to the northwest of Avdeevka, a key Donbass town recently liberated by Russian forces.
A close-up of the destroyed Abrams taken by a surveillance drone shows the vehicle’s ammunition compartment burned-out, with the engine compartment on fire. This marks a significant development in the conflict, as it is the first reported destruction of an Abrams tank, which was supplied by the US to bolster Ukraine’s military capabilities.
Washington had pledged to supply Ukraine with 31 M1 Abrams tanks in January 2022, ahead of Kiev’s long-hyped yet ultimately unsuccessful counteroffensive. However, they were fully delivered only by mid-October and have seemingly been kept away from the frontline, being featured only in propaganda videos until recently.
The Ukrainian Abrams have seen actual combat only over the past few days, deployed to the battlefield to bolster Kiev’s effort to stop the westward advance of Russian troops following the fall of Avdeevka, formerly a major Ukrainian stronghold in Donbass and one of the key staging points for indiscriminate artillery and rocket attacks on the city of Donetsk.
This incident underscores the escalating tensions and the increasing complexity of the military situation in the region.