Heavy losses: Ukraine halts Russian advance with US armor

The Ukrainians managed to halt the Russian advance on Pokrovsk, even after losing Avdiivka and facing a breach near Ocheretyne. This came at a cost, as one of the creators of the oryxspioenkop group documented 393 vehicles lost by Ukrainians based on available photos and recordings. This figure is nearly five times less than the losses suffered by the Russians, who lost 1,919 vehicles.

The most frequently destroyed vehicles on both sides were infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), armored personnel carriers, and tanks. Ukraine lost 146 and 95 units, respectively, while the Russians lost 1,083 and 554 units.

Among the Ukrainians, the tanks most often lost were various versions of the T-64 (35), T-72 (19), and M1A1SA Abrams (16). For armored personnel carriers, the M2A2 Bradley saw 41 units lost, along with the BMP-1/2, with at least 34 units lost by the Ukrainians.

The high losses of American equipment resulted from the daring actions of soldiers from the 47th Independent Mechanized Brigade. Among other things, they are known for the famous duel between a Bradley and a T-90M, and the solo charges of heavily modified Abrams.

It's worth noting that a key factor in these losses is the high survivability of American equipment crews. After being hit and evacuated, they can simply board a new vehicle and continue fighting. Notably, the 47th Brigade is one of the few Ukrainian units where morale remains high.

On the Russian side, total BMP losses amount to 543 units, with the most recent BMP-3 accounting for only 116 units. MT-LBs (216) and BTR-80/82 transporters (225) follow these. These vehicles are highly vulnerable even to fire from heavy machine guns loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, and their front sections offer more protection only with the BMPs.

However, they are very susceptible to attacks by FPV drones. Depending on the situation, jammers may or may not be effective against these. Western IFVs, armed with armor-piercing ammunition, can shoot them down before the Russians detect them. Particularly deadly are the former Swedish Strf 9040C (CV90), whose 40 mm automatic cannon can destroy BMPs from nearly 0.9 miles away.

Additionally, it's worth mentioning that on impact, there's often an explosion of ammunition, resulting in the deaths of the crew and transported soldiers. Unlike the Ukrainians, the Russians do not prioritize the safety of their soldiers, leading to low survival rates for their assault troops.

The second category of losses comprises tanks from the T-72 family (171), ranging from the earliest Ural versions to the newer T-72B3, which is the most famous Russian tank equipped with French thermal imaging. Interestingly, Russia lost the most machines from the T-80 family (184), mainly the BW version (164), which are the variants being restored first from post-Soviet stockpiles.

These tanks are less popular worldwide than the T-72 family and were probably the least looted from post-Soviet stockpiles over the last decades, making them the quickest to return to service. The T-80BW is a better-armored machine than the T-72B, but it lacks good night and thermal vision capabilities like other Soviet-era equipment.

Exceptions are tanks produced since 2017, like the T-80BWM, which are deeply overhauled older versions enhanced with a modern fire control system with thermal imaging. In addition, there were 38 T-90 tanks lost by Russia, both in the T-90A version from the 1990s and the T-90M version introduced just before the invasion of Ukraine. These are currently the newest Russian tanks outfitted with a fire control system with thermal imaging and two-layer Relikt reactive armor.

There were also tanks from the T-62 family (44 units) that were typically used as improvised heavy armored personnel carriers for infantry, appearing as "armored barns". These tanks were simply covered with nearby scrap metal on a steel frame about 1.6 feet from the armor to detonate cumulative warheads from FPV drones prematurely.

This approach was somewhat practical, especially after solid drone jammers with a range of up to 0.3 miles were deployed. However, if an "armored barn" encountered Ukrainians equipped with modern anti-tank weapons like FGM-148 Javelin launchers or Akeron MP, it would turn into a wreck.

With the current level of equipment losses, the Russians will be unable to conduct an offensive, and by 2025, they will run out of tanks for renovation. A key question then will be whether Russia receives hundreds of units of armored equipment from North Korea.