Since the heated spat between American president Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, the pause of military support has left American ordinance abroad, able to be captured by Russian troops.
This week, a video circulated on social media showed a Russian military convoy reportedly near the frontlines in the Kursk Oblast, and one of the Kremlin’s recovery vehicles towing a main battle tank (MBT). Such footage may not be that surprising, except it was a nearly intact American-made M1A1SA Abrams being towed and the tank was believed to be largely intact.
It isn’t the first Western MBT captured by the Russian forces. Still, it comes just months after another Abrams was spotted on a flatbed truck believed to be headed to the Uralvagonzavod research and development facility for evaluation. The facility remains Russia’s main production center for the Kremlin’s tanks and other armored vehicles, and last October, reports circulated that a German-made Leopard 2A6 MBT was also sent there to undergo evaluation.
In total thirty-one M1 Abrams were donated to Kyiv to bolster its war effort, but several have been believed to have been destroyed. As noted, this may be the second operational one to be captured by Russian troops.
A Lack of U.S. Intelligence to Blame for the “Pause?”
Earlier this month, Washington halted security and intelligence aid to Kyiv after the Oval Office flare-up between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The administration paused the security assistance and abruptly stopped all intelligence sharing with Trump, claiming Zelensky wasn’t “ready for peace.”
Though the United States announced this week that aid has resumed, the temporary pause allowed the Kremlin to regain territory in the Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise counter invasion last August, marking the first time since the Second World War that the Russian troops have fought on the ground in their homeland.
It was an embarrassing setback for Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Moscow has spent months trying to drive out the Ukrainians.
“Kyiv had hoped to use Kursk as a bargaining chip to get back some of its own captured territory,” Reuters reported, a fact that was likely known to Moscow, which took advantage of the opportunity presented by Washington.
On Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced it had recaptured around a dozen settlements and retook approximately 100 square kilometers of ground.
There had been concerns expressed earlier this week that Ukrainian forces risked encirclement, and as a result Kyiv has pulled its troops back.
M1 Abrams Left Abroad during the “Pause”
Western military hardware, including the American-made M1 Abrams, was among the equipment employed in the invasion of Russia last year. While the M1A1SA model is older and believed to be less capable than the current models used by the U.S. Army, the fact that Russia captured any Western tank in such condition should be seen with grave concern.
The issue could be just as severe for Kyiv, if not worse. In addition to having one fewer MBT in its arsenal to hold and defend the advances in the Kursk Oblast, Russia will gain insight into the modifications that were made to the tanks, notably its use of the Kontakt reactive armor kits and the M-19 Abrams Reactive Armor Tile (ARAT) protection systems.
Even as Ukraine’s military is still on track to receive additional M1A1s from Australia, some of the defensive secrets may have been revealed. That will put future operators in danger. While the tank may have been lost even had the United States not stopped intelligence sharing with Kyiv, that decision certainly didn’t help.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites, with over 3,200 published pieces and over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock/ Kirill Borisenko.
