After the failed counterattack last June, Ukraine has become increasingly careful about carrying out offensive operations, especially in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk Oblast regions which are currently occupied by Russia.
Even so, the deployment of cavalry units supported by Main Battle Tanks (MBT) was still carried out on a small scale to avoid losses due to scattered land mines. And recently, it was reported that the Ukrainian military had lost three Lopard 2 MBT units in consecutive attacks.
From the page Forbes.com (25/10/2023), open source intelligence analyst Andrew Perpetua, said that a video circulating online this week appeared to confirm the destruction of three Leopard 2A4 MBT units in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, southern Ukraine. This is Ukraine's biggest loss of Western-made MBTs since Kiev forces launched a counteroffensive in 2023.
A footage of another German-built Leopard-2 tank destroyed in Zaporozhia front Ukraine; second in as many days: pic.twitter.com/Eb09az3gac
— Bashkarma🌏 (@Karmabash) October 25, 2023
In four months of fierce fighting, Ukraine is said to have lost five Leopard 2A4 MBTs, three Leopard 2A6 units and one Challenger 2 unit. So so far, the number of Ukrainian MBs destroyed is nine units, while the number of armored vehicles (including MBTs) supplied by the West to Ukraine already more than 150 units.
From the same source, Ukraine currently operates 40 Leopard 2A4 MBT units, 21 Leopard 2A6 MBT units, several dozen Leopard 1A5 MBT units, 10 Strv122 units from Sweden, 14 Challenger 2 MBT units from England. and 31 M1A1 Abrmas units from the US.
Destruction of German Leopard-2 tank of the AFU#Ukraine #Ukrainewar #UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineWarNews #StandWithUkraine #RussianArmy #WWIII #Leopard pic.twitter.com/VvmqkjkQQh
— Chronology (@Chronology22) October 21, 2023
Apart from that, Ukraine is scheduled to receive additional shipments of Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 in the near future. If we look at the level of 'loss', then the loss of Ukrainian MBTs is not too bad in terms of quantity.
After the Mala Tokmachka disaster, the 47th Brigade operating Western tanks—including the 33rd Mechanized with its Leopard 2A4 and 82nd Air Assault operating the MBT Challenger 2, and the 21st Mechanized with its Strv 122—deployed their tanks at night, and also tasked them with shelling Russian positions from miles away.
#BREAKING #Ukraine #Russia Leopard 2 tank in service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, destroyed on Zaporozhye front. pic.twitter.com/M4ZOGzWZRG
— The National Independent (@NationalIndNews) October 25, 2023
Careful deployment, plus the hard work of repair depots in Poland and Germany, kept the Ukrainian cavalry brigade at full strength throughout the summer.
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It is not yet known why Ukrainian MBT losses have increased in recent days, but it is possible that the loss of three Leopard 2A4s in a row—most of which were caused by Russian kamikaze drones—reflects a more complex attack pattern. It appears that the 33rd Mechanized Brigade, the sole user of the Leopard 2A4 in Ukraine, has lately been dealing with the heaviest fighting along the Melitopol axis.