Any weapons supplied to Kiev “will burn,” and the US-made M1 Abrams tanks are no exception, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Peskov delivered the remark as he was reached by TASS for comment on the first-ever destruction of a Ukrainian M1 Abrams tank by Russian forces, reported earlier in the day. The vehicle was reportedly destroyed near the village of Berdychi, located to the northwest of Avdeevka, a key Donbass town liberated by the Russian military earlier this month.
The development is a part of the Russian military’s daily routine of “demilitarizing” Ukraine, the spokesman explained.
“From the very beginning, our soldiers said that these tanks would burn just like any others,” Peskov stated.
“As you and I know from the daily reports of the Ministry of Defense, this is the daily, systematic, professional and dedicated work of our military, who are demilitarizing Ukraine and doing it every day,” he added.
The US-made tank was reportedly hit by a kamikaze drone and at least one projectile from an anti-tank grenade launcher. Footage circulating online shows the vehicle caught fire, with its ammunition stock violently burning out.
The US pledged a batch of 31 M1 Abrams tanks for Kiev in January 2022, ahead of the long hyped, yet ultimately disastrous Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia.
However, the tanks made it in full to the country only in late 2022 and emerged on the battlefield only in the past few days, amid Kiev’s efforts to stabilize the frontline situation after the fall of Avdeevka, marked by heavy casualties and the chaotic rout of Ukrainian troops.