According to media reports, Russia has destroyed about one-third of the armored fighting vehicles supplied to Ukraine by the United States. At least 34 Bradley tanks have been taken out of action during Kyiv’s counteroffensive.
The vaunted Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV), which was touted as a potential “game-changer” when the ruling class of the U.S. agreed to give dozens of the machines to Ukraine earlier this year, has reportedly had trouble staying in action amid fierce resistance from Russian forces during Kyiv’s counteroffensive, according to a report by RT.
The Bradley tanks “have now been visually confirmed as having been abandoned, damaged or destroyed,” Business Insider reported on Saturday, citing “open-source” data from military research firm Oryx. The U.S. has supplied as many as 109 BFVs to Ukraine, the outlet added, and they were first deployed on the battlefield in April.
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When the rulers of the U.S., including Joe Biden agreed in January to send BFVs to Kyiv, the Pentagon touted the vehicles as “tank-killers” and claimed they would provide “a level of firepower and armor that will bring advantages on the battlefield.” US media outlets such as Newsweek cited military experts as saying the Bradleys “could become a game-changer,” potentially even enabling Ukraine to retake Crimea. Russian officials warned that the BFVs and other Western-supplied weaponry would “only prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people.”
Just a few days ago, RT reported that the Ukrainian military lost 20% of the equipment it sent to the battlefield during the first two weeks of its counteroffensive. The New York Times reported that this high attrition rate was reportedly a key factor in Kyiv’s decision to pause the operation.
After Russia inflicted devastating damage to Kyiv’s U.S.-supplied fighting vehicles, Ukrainian units were forced to abandon their armored vehicles and advance slowly on foot, the Washington Post reported. “You can no longer do anything with just a tank with some armor because the minefield is too deep, and sooner or later, it will stop, and then it will be destroyed by concentrated fire,” Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny, told the newspaper.
The Bradley Fighting vehicle is NOT a tank, it is not Armored like a Tank and it’s gun is nowhere near a Tank’s Gun.