M1 Abrams spotted in a special operation zone. Is Ukraine capable of operating American tanks?

An American M1 Abrams tank was spotted for the first time in the special military operation (SVO) zone. The Telegram channel “Informant” also noted that the tank was captured through the observation triplex of an American Bradley infantry fighting vehicle as part of the 47th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Avdiivka direction.

Previously, these tanks, which arrived in Ukraine in the fall of 2023, were not used in battles; they were seen only at training grounds. Presumably, the reason for the transfer of the Abrams closer to the front line was the difficult situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front.

Ukraine was suspected of inability to operate Abrams

It is known that the United States transferred 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Forbes suggested that the Ukrainian command was in no hurry to send them into battle because of the need to strengthen their armor to withstand attacks by Russian drones.

It later turned out that Abrams in Ukraine were equipped with M-19 Abrams Reactive Armor Tiles (ARAT) dynamic protection units. The tank itself and dynamic protection units also received the appropriate camouflage.

Earlier, captain of the first rank of the reserve, military expert Vasily Dandykin, in a conversation with Lenta.ru, named the main difficulties of Ukraine with servicing Western military equipment. “There is a variety of shells, different calibers of shells – 152 millimeters, 155 millimeters, different tanks – Leopard, Challenger, not to mention Abrams, multiple launch rocket systems – HIMARS, Soviet Alder. This puts a huge burden on the logistics agencies, on the production and provision of ammunition,” he said.

In addition, the analyst pointed out, Ukraine does not have enough personnel to service Western equipment. Kyiv needs to train not only the military who will manage it, but also the personnel who will check its combat readiness. Dandykin doubted that NATO specialists could do this, since work in the republic is risky for them due to Russian strikes on military targets.

In the United States, Abrams’ reputational losses were considered more significant than combat ones

Earlier, Military Watch Magazine learned that the United States was thinking about the reputation of the M1 Abrams, which could be destroyed due to numerous cases of seizure or loss of equipment. According to several unconfirmed reports, the US is pressuring Ukraine to keep the vehicles away from the front lines.

Dandykin agreed with this version. He suggested that the United States is keeping them away from the front line in order to maintain the prestige of its military-industrial complex (MIC) and to continue supplying its equipment to Western countries.

In December 2023, Vladimir Prokhvatilov, a senior researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences, also indicated that Ukraine's use of Abrams tanks would undermine the reputation of good American armored vehicles. The expert clarified that without repair plants capable of servicing the Abrams, it is useless to put these tanks into operation. “It is not clear why the United States gave Abrams to Ukraine at all. Only a rich country, NATO, can handle them, because they have big budgets,” he concluded.