Ukrainian Leopard tanks blown up during close combat, alarming news - Forbes
Date: 2024-10-22 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
Ukrainian Leopard 2A4 tanks have blown up during a close-range attack on Russian vehicles. However, some of them survived and managed to get through, Forbes reports.
On Sunday and Monday, Russian troops threw battalions into battle against Ukrainian defenses in the Donetsk region, advancing a quarter mile through the ruins of the town of Maksymilyanivka. This was part of their gradual advance on Kurakhovo.
The breakthrough in this area cost Russia hundreds of casualties. The Ukrainian General Staff reported more than 1,700 Russians killed, wounded, and captured in just one day.
The fighting in the Donbass is a reflection of the overall picture of the war: Russian troops are advancing, but are suffering huge losses that are difficult to compensate for. As a result, Moscow even attracted the North Korean military.
The clashes near Kurakhovo were particularly fierce. Russian motorized rifle units transferred 19 infantry fighting vehicles and 4 tanks to the southern flank, which attacked the Ukrainian 79th Airborne Assault Brigade. However, experienced Ukrainian troops destroyed several vehicles and repelled the attack. According to the brigade, the surviving Russian vehicles fled under fire from Ukrainian anti-tank missiles and drones.
To the north of this sector, the Russians' success was more tangible. The Ukrainian 33rd Mechanized Brigade, armed with Leopard 2A4 tanks, successfully destroyed several Russian vehicles. However, Russian troops were able to gain a foothold in the west of Maksimilianivka.
According to some analysts, such Russian successes may indicate that Ukraine is losing the war of attrition, as it is not able to replenish personnel and equipment in time. Kyiv is trying to recruit up to 20,000 new troops every month, but the losses are just as high. While Russia is also losing up to 30,000 troops a month, it is recruiting a similar number of new soldiers, including through agreements with North Korea.
Analysts say this imbalance in human resources could become decisive if Ukraine does not receive more support from its allies.
