Russian army T-72-B3 tanks fire during military exercises in 2020 (Photo: AFP).
"The Russian forces, they are firing direct fire. Planes are flying in the sky. Basically, they have all kinds of weapons. But the most terrifying are probably the tanks," Dmytro, a Ukrainian National Guard soldier with the Bureviy Brigade, said in an interview with CNN.
For Ukrainian soldiers, Russian artillery is also a serious threat, but tanks are even more dangerous.
"When a tank fires, you don't even hear it. You can hear the plane as it flies by. But with a tank, your fate is in God's hands," Dmytro added.
According to the British Ministry of Defense , Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on Russian armored forces, destroying around 2,600 main battle tanks since the conflict began and hundreds more in the past few months alone. However, the Russian military continues to offer alternatives.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has recently struggled with a shortage of weapons and ammunition, especially as a crucial aid package from the US has yet to be approved by the country's parliament .
"It's no secret that we lack artillery shells. We try to strike as efficiently and accurately as possible to hit the enemy's firepower," said Nazariy, a drone pilot.
In some areas, Russian attacks have increased in the past few days, according to Ukrainian officials, who say there are 50 “clashbacks” between Russian and Ukrainian forces each day.
"The fighting situation is very fierce and very tense. The enemy has more equipment and manpower. Basically, every day, they try to attack our positions," Dmytro said.
The Russian military is boosting its defense industry to produce weapons and recruit more soldiers. Recent reports indicate that in addition to replacing troops lost in battles, Russia is also increasing production of about 100 tanks per month.
British intelligence says Russia's ability to produce 100 tanks a month would allow Moscow to maintain a similar level of offensive effort against Ukraine despite suffering heavy losses.
The British Ministry of Defense said on January 29 that Russian ground forces may have lost up to 365 main battle tanks since the beginning of October, meaning they are losing more than 100 tanks per month.
However, Britain believes that Russia is also capable of replacing its destroyed tank fleet at a similar rate.
The West has repeatedly stated that Russia is running out of weapons and is unable to replenish them due to a series of sanctions. However, in reality, Russia continues to bring new weapons to the battlefield. Moscow has also announced that it has increased its defense production capacity many times over the past year, in order to serve the war of attrition.
Russia's continued offensive capabilities come as Western aid to Ukraine dwindles, putting Kiev in a difficult position to achieve its goal of reclaiming territory from Moscow.
Ukraine has not received a new security aid package from the US for about a month. The Pentagon said the US does not have the capacity to repair the weapons it sent to Ukraine.
"We will continue to work closely with Congress and call for additional funding as soon as possible," Pentagon press secretary Gen. Patrick Ryder said at a January 23 press briefing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he feared a lack of Western support would lead to "a lot of deaths and a lot of injuries".
Source
Comment (0)