Western-Trained Ukrainian Unit Loses 9 of 10 US-Made MaxxPro Vehicles
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A Ukrainian battalion, trained in the West and equipped for the counteroffensive, has lost nine out of 10 available US-made MaxxPro armored vehicles and lost most of its troops, with only 10 servicepeople of the unit remaining at the forefront, a American daily reported on Sunday, citing a Ukrainian soldier.
The soldier told the newspaper "They were hit by anti-tank fire ... The guys did not survive."
Ukraine launched its much-touted counteroffensive in early June after repeatedly delaying the campaign over a lack of military supplies from its Western donors. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that progress was "slower than desired."
After encountering stiff Russian resistance, Ukrainian commanders largely held off sending Western tanks into battle, focusing instead on making targeted strikes, Western media reported. In mid-July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Ukraine's counteroffensive was in its "early weeks" and would "play out over the next weeks."
The Russian Defense Ministry says Ukrainian troops have been trying — but failing — to advance in the South Donetsk, Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and Zaporozhye sectors. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on July 23 that Ukraine had lost over 26,000 soldiers since the start of the counteroffensive.
© Sputnik
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