While negotiations for a truce in Ukraine are suspended under Russian conditions, Ukraine has operated a retirement in the Koursk region, part of which has been under its control since last August.
Faced with the threat of an imminent encirclement and the shortage of supplies, the Ukrainian forces – around 10,000 men divided into several heavy brigades – have folded up urgently, also threatened by a Russian drone army, awaiting the best time to strike. A disengagement that deprives kyiv of a weight lever in his negotiations with Moscow.
Abandoned tanks on the ground
And the problem is not only strategic, it is also material, Note Forbes. Thus, not having the capacity to exfiltrate their entire arsenal, the forces on the withdrawal had to abandon several major parts of their military equipment on the spot, thus delivering Western material at the hands of the Russian forces.
The four -legged companions of the Ukrainian soldiers
Among the systems left behind is in particular an Abrams tank, one of the most advanced armored vehicles in the Ukrainian army. Since the start of the war, kyiv has received 31 of these heavy tanks, then provided by the United States. The capture of one of these tanks by Moscow could have major technological implications and intelligence.
In addition to the M-1 Abrams tanks, Ukrainian forces also left behind several M-2 Bradley, infantry combat vehicles. The United States has provided more than 300 to Ukraine, of which at least 80 have already been lost in combat, recalls Forbes. The capture of a Bradley by Russia could limit kyiv’s capacities to continue a high intensity war, in a context of stopping American endowments.
A boon for Russia
Another major equipment lost in this battle is the M-777 lat. If Moscow gets its hands on an intact unit, it could offer Moscow a unique opportunity to analyze, or even reproduce, some of its capacities.
If the results of Russian equipment losses, estimated at 20,577, is extremely heavy, Ukraine suffers more strongly with its own losses, leaving with a less extensive arsenal than its rival. kyiv is struggling to maintain his ideal ratio of losses of three against one, necessary to rebalance the long -term force report, and the erosion of his resources, combined with that of his human forces, is particularly harmful. Consequently, kyiv must wait for the return of American aid, or find a lasting way to preserve his arsenal.
This article was initially published on March 17.
 precious M-1 abrams and M-2 Bradley tanks when it is withdrawn from Koursk, Russia in Russia){kind=link}