According to the Russian news agency TASS, Igor Kimakovsky, an advisor to the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), stated that Russian troops had destroyed the fourth American M1 Abrams tank. The incident occurred near the village of Berdychi, a scene of fierce fighting following the fall of the city of Avdeevka.
Igor Kimakovsky stated: “I have received confirmation of another M1 Abrams tank belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) being destroyed.”
He added that the M1 Abrams was destroyed by an anti-tank grenade launcher fired by a Russian assault unit. The vehicle exploded after being hit, and no one could have survived the burning tank.
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| The fourth M1 Abrams tank was shot down near Berdychi, Donetsk. Photo: Getty. |
On March 5th, the Russian Armed Forces (AF) destroyed the third Abrams tank belonging to the AFU. The tank was destroyed near the village of Berdychi in the direction of Avdeevsky by an anti-tank guided missile system (ATGM) of the 24th Special Guards Brigade.
Earlier, on March 3rd, the developers of the Ghoul FPV drone released a video of the destruction of a second Abrams tank. The video shows the drone flying into an immobilized Abrams tank whose crew had abandoned it due to previous suicide drone attacks.
Meanwhile, American media outlets assessed that the Russian Armed Forces' use of FAB-1500 vapor bombs had resulted in significant losses for the AFU and could change the course of the battlefield.
CNN reporters Tim Lister and Frederic Pleitgen reported that the Russian Army is actively using FAB-1500 heavy glide bombs in the Ukrainian battlefield. This severely weakens the defensive capabilities of the AFU and has the potential to alter the balance of power on the front lines.
AFU soldiers noted that this type of air-drop bomb is capable of causing massive damage on the ground. Some Ukrainian soldiers told reporters, "If you survive the explosion, you will certainly suffer from the blast."
“This has a huge impact on the soldiers’ morale. Not all of our guys can handle it. They’re more or less used to the FAB-500, but the FAB-1500 is terrible,” said a soldier from the 46th Motorized Infantry Brigade (AFU).
The FAB-1500 is a basic Soviet-era aerial weapon that was upgraded into a 1.5-ton glide bomb with a high-explosive warhead capable of leaving a 15-meter-wide crater upon impact. Its warhead weighs up to 675 kg, and the shrapnel still has lethal range of 500 meters.
Typically, glide bombs are dropped from a mother aircraft 60-70 km from the target, beyond the reach of many Ukrainian air defense systems. The FAB-1500 targets using a guidance system and retractable wings that allow it to glide towards the target at high speed.
“Videos of recent fighting in the Donetsk region have demonstrated the terrifying power of these bombs, as they strike thermal power plants, factories, and high-rise buildings – places that the AFU uses as defensive fortifications,” said reporter Frederic Pleitgen.
The use of FAB glide bombs became the most important factor in the Russian Army's offensive on the Donetsk front, particularly in the battle for control of the city of Avdeevka and its surrounding areas.
In February 2024, the Russian Aerospace Forces used a FAB-1500 aerial bomb to attack Kurakhovo. The massive explosion caused by the bomb destroyed an AFU base in the area.
Footage circulating online shows a massive bomb explosion in the city, followed by a mushroom-shaped plume of smoke rising into the air. Information from the AFU indicates that the destructive power of the FAB-1500 bomb is considerable.
In January 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense introduced the FAB-1500 M54 glide bomb with the Unified Guidance and Correction Module (UMPC), which transforms free-fall bombs into high-precision glide bombs.
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| The FAB-1500 M54 glide bomb could be a game-changer in the current battlefield situation in Ukraine. Photo: RIAN |
The footage shows the FAB-1500 M54 bomb in flight. In addition to the UMPC module with wings and a tail fin, the bomb is fitted with a nose shield to improve the aerodynamics of the FAB-1500. This type of bomb became the heaviest bomb equipped with a UMPC.
Military expert Yuri Knutov noted that the FAB-1500 equipped for the UMPC is superior to the Iskander tactical missile systems in terms of destructive power on the battlefield.
"The UMPC-equipped bomb has truly become a formidable force in the Russian Armed Forces," expert Yuri Knutov assessed.
To modernize and modify existing conventional bombs, FABs are equipped with the UMPC module. Expert Yuri Knutov emphasized that this process does not require excessive costs, and the price of such weapons is relatively low.
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