Russia destroyed two-thirds of US-supplied Abrams tanks to Ukraine
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A Russian official has said that Russian weapons have destroyed two-thirds of Ukrainian Abrams tanks in battles.
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Representatives of the diplomatic corps look at the United States-made M1 Abrams tank, supplied to Ukrainian armed forces and later destroyed and captured by Russian forces, placed on display in Moscow, Russia, on May 31, 2024 (AP)
Two-thirds of all United States-supplied Abrams main battle tanks delivered to Ukraine have been destroyed, a Russian official said on Thursday.
Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Maxim Buyakevich made the remarks during the OSCE Permanent Council meeting on Thursday.
"This issue becomes particularly relevant seeing how well the over-hyped NATO [military] equipment burns under the pressure of Russian weapons," Buyakevich said.
The official said that two-thirds of Abrams tanks delivered to Ukrainian armed forces have been destroyed at this point, despite their rare deployment "in action."
It is believed that at least 20 out of the 31 Abrams tanks delivered to Ukraine have been destroyed.
He also pointed to the continued discussions of using Western-made weapons against targets deep in Russian territory, saying these proposals have only been made after "Anglo-Saxons and their allies" failed to reach their goals via other means.
Read more: West using coercive measures to undermine int'l law: Russian PM
Ukraine has been urging its Western allies for permission to use their supplied long-range missiles to strike deep into Russia for months, claiming that such strikes would expand its military gains in the ongoing conflict.
This request was discussed in earlier this month in a meeting between US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the latter pushing Washington to provide more leeway to Ukraine. Additionally, Starmer especially seeks Biden's support to allow Kiev to use British Storm Shadow missiles against Russian territory.
The meeting concluded with the White House suggesting a "holding pattern" until Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky visits New York later this month to present his "victory plan."
Read more: Russia supplied 140,000 UAVs in 2023, plans tenfold increase by 2030
