Russian forces have destroyed a second US-supplied Ukrainian M1 Abrams tank in Donbass, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has claimed.
In a statement on Monday, the ministry said the tank had been taken out not far from the city of Avdeevka, which was recently liberated by Russian troops. Kiev has lost more than 490 service members, four infantry fighting vehicles – including three US-made Bradleys – as well as three armored and 12 ordinary vehicles in this area alone, according to ministry officials.
Apart from the Abrams, Moscow’s forces also allegedly destroyed another Ukrainian tank near Avdeevka, the officials added, without providing further details.
Ukraine received all 31 promised Abrams tanks from the US back in the autumn, although they were first sighted on the front line only in late February. Shortly afterwards, clips of the American-supplied hardware engulfed in flames started circulating on social media. The Russian Defense Ministry later confirmed that the first Abrams had been knocked out near Avdeevka.
On Sunday, Russian Telegram channels reported that the second tank of this type, along with a mine-clearing vehicle based on the Abrams chassis, was taken out in Donbass. Russian journalist Vladimir Solovyev, who was the first to share footage of the burning tank, said Moscow’s forces had immobilized the Abrams by firing a grenade launcher at its chassis. He added that the tank was later completely destroyed by an assault squad.
Commenting on the destruction of the first Abrams tank, Yan Gagin, an adviser to the head of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, described it as “an empty tin can” stripped of all modern US technology so that Kiev could not access it.
Russia has repeatedly denounced Western arms shipments to Ukraine, saying they will only prolong the conflict. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that Abrams tanks “will burn” like the rest of the military hardware provided to Kiev.