CNN
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Ukraine has lost 16 US-supplied armored vehicles in recent days, according to open-source intelligence analysis, as the country’s military announced its forces had captured three villages from Russia in an offensive in the eastern Donetsk region.
The 16 US Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles destroyed or damaged and abandoned in recent days represent nearly 15% of the 109 Washington has given to Kiev, according to Jakub Janovsky of the Dutch open-source intelligence website Oryx , which has been collecting visual evidence of losses of military equipment in Ukraine since the invasion of Russia began on February 24, 2022.
The Bradley Fighting Vehicle, which moves on tracks instead of wheels, can hold around 10 troops and is used to transport personnel into battle while providing fire support.
When the first batch of more than 60 Bradleys was sent to Ukraine in late January, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Rebecca D’Angelo, commander of the Army’s 841st Transportation Battalion, said the vehicles armored vehicles would be important for Kiev’s offensive operations.
“This is expected to improve their capabilities to advance on the battlefield and recover lost ground, having equipment that matches or exceeds what the Russians have,” D’Angelo said in an Army report american
But when Washington announced in January it would supply Bradleys to Ukraine, said CNN military analyst James “Spider” Marks, a retired general. the Bradleys would need the right mix of other skillsincluding air support, long-range artillery and incisive intelligence.
“A single piece of equipment like the Bradleys is wonderful, but it has to be used in conjunction with all the other enablers,” he said at the time.
Air support is one area where Ukraine’s military is lacking, although Kiev’s forces are expected to receive F-16 multi-role fighter jets from Western allies in the future.
Despite the loss of the Bradleys, analysts said it did not necessarily portend trouble for Ukraine’s efforts to push back the Russian invaders.
“Given the size of the front and the intensity of the fighting, I would expect those losses,” said Nicholas Drummond, a defense industry analyst specializing in ground warfare and a former British army officer.
Ukraine “is attacking across four main lines of advance to force Russia to commit its reserves. A necessary but costly approach,” Drummond said.
But it also echoed Marks’ comments from January.
“I would like to see the use of armor accompanied by more artillery fire and fighter jets. You can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs,” Drummond said.
Drummond and others also pointed to a positive sign for Ukraine in its losses of Western armored vehicles.
“We’re not seeing catastrophic damage. That suggests the vehicles are doing their job and the crews are getting away,” he said.
And Oryx’s Janovsky said the Bradleys may not be lost for good.
“Most of these vehicles are just damaged and abandoned, so it might be possible to recover them and repair them if Ukraine occupies the area,” he said.
The Bradleys are among the nearly 3,600 pieces of military equipment Ukraine has lost in the war, according to Oryx. Meanwhile, the website says it has documented the loss of more than 10,600 pieces of Russian military equipment.
In a statement on Monday, Moscow claimed to have destroyed several Ukrainian armored vehicles in the Zaporizhzhia region.
“Enemy armored forces are currently launching more and more attacks on the [Zaporizhzhia] address However, Russian anti-tank troops stand in their way, cold-bloodedly turning Western armored vehicles into piles of scrap,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The statement does not say what type of vehicles were destroyed.
Despite the loss of the Bradleys, Ukraine reports that it has recaptured at least three villages from Russian forces during weekend fighting.
Ukraine’s advance south from the frontline town of Velyka Novosilke in the Donetsk region now extends 5 to 10 kilometers (3 to 6 miles), according to information released by the deputy defense minister , Hanna Maliar.
Writing on Telegram on Sunday evening, Maliar said the village of Makrivka had been recaptured from Russian control, the third in a series of settlements along the Mokri Yaly River that Ukrainian forces declared liberated in throughout the day
Earlier, videos emerged showing soldiers raising the Ukrainian flag from the Neskuchne and Blahodatne buildings.
CNN military analyst Mark Hertling said the situation was positive for Ukraine both morally and on the battlefield.
“It reinforces the fact that they’re making progress,” Hertling told CNN’s Jim Acosta.
Meanwhile, “every bit of ground that Ukrainian forces can withdraw into their sovereign territory will be part of a march toward operational success,” Hertling said.
Reporting on the developments, Russian military bloggers offered a pessimistic assessment of the situation facing Kremlin forces in the area. The Rybar Telegram channel suggested late Sunday that Ukraine’s offensive appeared poised to continue, adding that Russian forces “should expect pressure to intensify in the near future.”
The fighting is taking place near the village of Urozhaine, a little further down the river, Rybar reported. The channel added that heavy clouds and rain also limited the ability of Russian forces to use drones to repel the Ukrainian advance.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said Russian forces had blown up a dam on the river, adding that there was flooding on both banks but said it “would not affect our counter-offensive actions”.
On Monday, Ukraine accused Russia of blowing up another small dam on the border between Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, near the village of Novodarivka.
According to Ukraine’s Military Media Center, flood waters overflowed both banks of the Mokri Yaly River after the dam of a small reservoir near the village was destroyed.
Novodarivka is one of several villages in the area that have been claimed by Kiev troops in recent days.
In its latest battlefield update, Russia’s Defense Ministry made no mention of the withdrawals, but said its forces had “destroyed manpower and equipment concentrations” of three Ukrainian brigades operating in the same area.
Further west, in the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region, Russian airstrikes and artillery fire from the Vostok brigade had managed to push back three Ukrainian advances south of Orikhiv, the Russian defense ministry said.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian military spokesman told CNN that Kiev’s forces have been counterattacking around the eastern city of Bakhmut for a week, but downplayed it, saying, “This is not a major offensive.”
“These are counterattacks where we take advantage of the fact that the enemy is turning, that the enemy hasn’t fully reconnoitred, hasn’t fully coordinated his units, hasn’t fully dug in. We take advantage of that and counterattack them,” Serhii Cherevatyi. he told CNN by phone.
He said Russian forces were continuing shelling of Ukrainian positions, but said Ukrainian forces had advanced up to two kilometers (1.25 miles) in some places.
Cherevatyi said Russia’s presence in Bakhmut was maintained by airborne troops, supported by infantry personnel and mercenaries from several smaller private military companies.
While Russian forces continue to hold the city, Ukrainian forces have concentrated their efforts in the northwestern and southwestern areas.
Hertling noted that Ukraine has been using a “deep strike capability” to disrupt Russian supply lines far from the front line.
“Ukraine has been very good on deep targets that affect logistical support,” Hertling said.
