As of: February 25, 2024, 10:09 p.m
By: Mark Stoffers
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After the fall of Avdiivka, Kiev is likely to send the 47th brigade to fight against Putin's army.
Their Abrams tanks are intended to reinforce the Ukrainian front.
Kiev – The Ukraine war is entering its third year.
And experts like Carlo Masala don't see an end in sight any time soon.
Instead, in an interview with the
Augsburger Allgemeine
, the military historian believes that as time goes on, “Putin has good cards.”
After the loss of Avdiivka: Ukraine sends Abrams tanks to fight against Russia
And perhaps the capture of Avdiivka, in which Ukraine left behind hundreds of soldiers, could just be a sign of a larger offensive by Russia in the war against Ukraine.
According to the Moscow Defense Ministry, the Russian armed forces are preparing for further advances in the Avdiivka area.
The soldiers had taken up more advantageous positions near the recently captured eastern Ukrainian city.
Seven Ukrainian counterattacks were repelled.
To prevent Vladimir Putin's army from capitalizing too much on recent events, Kiev has apparently mobilized its M-1 Abrams tanks and sent US-made combat vehicles into action near Stepove, north of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.
Although the information cannot be independently confirmed, videos from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense have been circulating on the Internet since Friday (February 23), which are intended to show the Abrams tanks of the 47th Brigade in front-line operations against the Russian armed forces.
Video from the Avdiivka Front in the Ukraine War: Abrams tanks fight against Russian troops
Deployment against Russia on the Avdiivka Front: Elite brigade swaps Leopard tanks for Abrams
Not much of the Abrams tanks' battles against the Russian forces can be seen in the short video.
It is not possible to independently classify whether this is a current combat operation, nor do the images suggest whether the tanks are actually on the Avdiivka front.
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What is certain, however, is that since last fall Ukraine has had 31 of the 69-ton M-1A1 Abrams tanks with tungsten armor, side-mounted reactive M-19 tank blocks, 120-millimeter smoothbore cannon and day-night optics.
In addition, it is certain that all models of the US main battle tank are subordinate to the 47th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian army.
Abrams tank instead of Leopard 2A6: Operation against Russia on the Ukraine front was a long time coming
However, it took a while before the Abrams tanks found their way to the front and were used in combat against Russia's armed forces.
Finally, the 47th Brigade first had to replace some tanks.
But the brigade is known and infamous for this.
When it was founded, the NATO-trained brigade took over 28 former Slovenian M-55S tanks for use in the Ukraine War - Israeli retrofits of old Soviet T-55 tanks with modern British 105-millimeter guns.
However, due to the weak armor, the brigade quickly gave up the tanks and switched to the Leopard 2A6 tanks that Ukraine had received from Germany and Portugal before the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Now the 47th Brigade has apparently made another switch from the Leopards to the Abrams tanks.
This turned out to be relatively unproblematic, as the Leopard tank, with its similar armor and optics, is the German answer to the M1-1A1 Abrams tank, which turns out to be a diva on the battlefield.
In the fight against Russia: Abrams tanks defending the Ukrainian front near Avdiivka
The Abrams tanks of the 47th Brigade will probably be used less for offensive actions against Russia's armed forces.
According to a military expert, Kiev's current strategy in the Ukraine war should be limited to defense.
“If you act militarily defensively, you need fewer personnel and less material because you do not move actively tactically, do not have to hold newly conquered terrain with additional forces and do not have to prepare your movements with fire,” explains military analyst Hendrik Remmel in an interview with
tagesschau.de
.
The expert from the German Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies (GIDS) in Hamburg explains further.
“Therefore, given the current personnel and material situation, it makes sense to remain on the defensive at least until the situation regarding ammunition has improved again.”
Abrams tanks supporting the Avdiivka Front in the Ukraine War
And it is precisely this defensive line on the Avdiivka Front that the Abrams tanks of the 47th Brigade are now apparently intended to reinforce so that Russia does not gain further terrain in the current situation in the Ukraine war.
After the fall and arguably chaotic withdrawal from Avdiivka last week when the garrison ran out of ammunition, the Ukrainians continue to hold the line west of the city.
However, only the next few days and weeks of the war in Ukraine will show whether the Abrams M-1 of the 47th Brigade, which is more of a sledgehammer for the front, can do justice to this task.