Nearly All Abrams Tanks The US Gave Ukraine Have Been Destroyed Or Disabled

Russian media outlet RIA Novosti has cited a study which says the majority of the 31 US-supplied M1 Abrams tanks delivered to Ukraine have been destroyed. 

The tanks, which were authorized for transfer under President Biden, have all been destroyed or damaged with the exception of a mere five. These remaining tanks were then reportedly pulled from the front lines given Ukrainian commanders’ fears they are too vulnerable to superior Russian airpower.

The claim that 26 have been destroyed since they entered the battlefield seems plausible, and consistent with an April 2024 Associated Press report which confirmed at the time, “Ukraine has sidelined U.S.-provided Abrams M1A1 battle tanks for now in its fight against Russia, in part because Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult for them to operate without detection or coming under attack,” citing two US military officials.

And here’s what a Ukraine war monitor published in December 2024:

Ukraine has lost at least 17 Abrams, according to the Oryx open-source tracking group. Of those, at least eight were destroyed, one damaged, seven damaged and abandoned and one captured. The actual figures are likely higher in reality because Oryx only tabulates losses for which it has visual confirmation.

Given that a year-and-a-half has passed since that prior report, it is certainly easy to consider that at least nine more tanks were disabled or destroyed in that time period.

War-related social media posts have circulated several videos which purport to show Abrams tanks being targeted from the air and blown up…

Russian telegram channels posted videos of fiber optic cable FPV strikes on a Ukrainian Abrams tank in Kursk oblast last week. Aside from a concussion, the crew survived without injury and made it back to friendly lines. @KofmanMichael and I spoke to the commander of the tank… pic.twitter.com/piqapqvVMv

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) December 19, 2024

According to Russia’s RT and the defense ministry, Ukraine lost two of the Abrams tanks as recently as last week.

“Last week, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that two Ukrainian Abrams tanks had been seized during an operation in Ukraine’s Sumy Region,” RT wrote. “The Defense Ministry released a video showing Russian troops recovering the vehicles, which appeared to be intact,” the report continued. “The tanks were reportedly towed to the rear by the 22nd Motor Rifle Regiment after reconnaissance teams secured the area.”

Both President Biden at the time (in 2023) as well as much of the American media hailed that the Abrams tanks for Ukraine program (which involved training operators) would be a “game-changer”. But it perhaps in the end proved embarrassing for the Pentagon.