Ukrainians' NATO Tanks Are Outfighting Russia's In Tokmak Advance

As they have in so many other aspects of the battlefield reality with Russia, Ukraine has adapted the tactics it employs with NATO tanks like the German Leopard and British Challenger, using them for rapid-fire, precision advances in support of infantry attacking specific targets. 

The result has been greater success in attaining objectives across the front, but particularly on the southern Tokmak axis of advance, with far fewer casualties and damage to equipment. JL 

Tom Porter reports in Business Insider:

Ukraine is improving its ability at using sophisticated tanks provided by its Western allies in its counteroffensive against Russia. Ukraine adapted its tactics to be more effective, deploying its German-made Leopard tanks for rapid assaults on Russian positions. The German Leopard tanks have better armor, engines, and navigation systems than the Soviet-era tanks used by Russia. Ukraine is putting weapons like the Leopard to a more precise use in backing rapid attacks by small groups of infantry.

Ukraine is improving its ability at using sophisticated tanks provided by its Western allies in its counteroffensive against Russia, CNN reported. 

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen was on the front line in east Ukraine, and said Ukraine had adapted its tactics to be more effective.

He reported that it was deploying assets like its German-made Leopard tanks for rapid assaults on Russian positions but not across densely packed minefields.

A Ukrainian tank commander, who gave his call sign as "Bars," said that Ukrainian forces understood the tanks better now, so could deploy them more effectively.

"The more you work, the more you understand, and you start working automatically," he told Pleitgen. 

In January, Ukraine's allies including the US and Germany donated hundreds of armored vehicles to Ukraine as it prepared to launch its counteroffensive to drive back Russian forces. 

The German Leopard tanks have better armor, engines, and navigation systems than the Soviet-era tanks used by Ukraine and Russia, and it was hoped they enable Ukraine to punch through Russian defenses. 

But scores of the vehicles were lost in large scale attacks. Videos from early in the counteroffensive showed smoking wrecks of entire columns of armored vehicles.

 

According to the RAND think tank, the vehicles were often disabled by mines then picked off by Russian attack helicopters and specialist anti-tank batteries. 

Large-scale failures like that have been less prominent in recent weeks, though.

Instead of seeking a quick breakthrough in large attacks using tanks, Ukraine reverted to using small groups of infantry backed up by artillery.

And according to the CNN report, it is putting weapons like the Leopard to a more precise use in backing those attacks.