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Ukraine Has Lost 20% of Donated Western Materiel in Counteroffensive - Reports

Sputnik News

20230727
Fantine Gardinier

Pressured to launch an attack against fortified Russian positions, Ukrainian forces have lost huge amounts of equipment given to them by the NATO powers for the operation, with little to show for it.

According to reports in Western media citing Ukrainian and Western officials, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost roughly one-fifth of their Western equipment over the last two months, including huge numbers of armored vehicles, as well as expending much of the munitions stocks it has been given.

Ukrainian troops involved in the operations told Western media they were "unprepared" for the complexity of the Russian fortifications they encountered, which have included tank traps, minefields, and trenches. They described "chaos" early in the operation that caused huge amounts of losses, including friendly fire incidents and falling prey to Russia's deadly Ka-52 "Alligator" tank-hunter helicopters.

Kremlin statistics account for some 26,000 casualties on the Ukrainian side since early June. Western media tallies have accounted for the loss of at least 34 M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) - more than one-third of the 100 given to Ukraine by the United States since April. At least eight of the roughly two dozen Leopard main battle tanks given to Kiev had also been destroyed as of early July.

The early heavy losses caused Kiev to change tactics, now relying on massive artillery bombardments and slow, methodical probing of Russian minefields to find - or make - paths through the defenses that they hope mechanized units can exploit. Ukrainian special forces also told Western media that they were being used "like regular infantry" on the front lines instead of in their specialized roles, due to shortages in manpower.

However, the grinding movement forward is also exhausting the artillery shells given to Ukraine, which include American 155-millimeter M777 howitzers and the cluster munitions controversially supplied for them.

In all, Ukrainian forces have retaken only tiny amounts of ground from Russian forces, given the amount of hype the counteroffensive was given in the Western press and by Western leaders. At the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky scolded NATO leaders for reaffirming their opposition to direct involvement in the conflict and pushing Kiev's possible NATO membership back until after the crisis is over.

© Sputnik