Ukraine announces 2024 combat plan; M1 Abrams appears

Donetsk region leader adviser Igor Kimakovsky said that M1 Abrams main battle tank units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have appeared for the first time on the front line northwest of the city of Avdeevka.

“Our combat units have recorded the appearance of Abrams tanks. This is the first time they have appeared in the northwest of Avdeevka,” Igor Kimakovsky informed.

According to public sources, the US transferred 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine last fall. However, the Abrams tanks have never been used in combat in Ukraine before. Experts say the AFU is in no rush to send the tanks into combat because they need to be protected against attacks by Russian drones.

After a long wait, the M1 Abrams tank has officially entered combat in Ukraine. Photo: AP.

Meanwhile, on channels monitoring the war in Ukraine, a clip has appeared depicting M1 Abrams tanks participating in combat operations provided by AFU. The short clip depicts the highly mobile US-made tank firing at several targets believed to be near Avdeevka, but the exact details are not disclosed.

According to some reports, the M1 Abrams belongs to the 47th Mechanized Infantry Brigade of the AFU, which is considered the most combat-ready unit. The unit’s Abrams tanks have not been seen anywhere except on the training ground. They only appeared on the battlefield starting on February 4.

Assessing the ability to shoot down American tanks, retired Colonel and military expert Andrei Koshkin expressed the opinion that the Russian Armed Forces have many superior equipment to the American M1 Abrams tank. The expert assessed that the M1 Abrams is a tank that is too heavy and erratic: This vehicle must use a helicopter jet engine, requires special fuel and lubricants, and "drinks gasoline like water".

“If we talk about having something equivalent to the M1 Abrams, then I would say we have much better weapons than these tanks. We have the excellent T-90 tank. It has enough power to counter the Abrams,” said expert Andrei Koshkin.

According to Andrei Koshkin, German Leopard tanks were also easily shot down on the battlefield before. And the Russian Army will do the same to American weapons as they did to German tanks.

“They will simply burn them,” expert Andrei Koshkin asserted.

Responding to RBC-Ukraine news agency, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that Kiev has outlined a military plan for 2024 that will bring positive results.

According to Mr. Rustem Umerov, the country's military leadership is doing everything possible to "make a breakthrough" in 2024.

“There is a plan for 2024. We do not talk about it publicly. It is strong, it not only gives hope but also brings results in 2024,” the Ukrainian Defense Minister said.

Earlier, R. Umerov refused to disclose AFU's plans for 2024 at a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He stressed that Kiev and trusted partners already knew this information.

Ukraine is weak and continuously losing control of many territories to Russia. Photo: Getty.

Regarding the situation in the village of Robotine, the leader of the We Stand with Russia movement, Vladimir Rogov, said that the Russian Army is controlling the entire southern region of this strategic location, while the AFU is still holding the northern region.

Much of the settlement is now considered a grey zone, meaning that it is, in effect, uncontrolled.

The Russian units entered Robotine on the evening of February 25, announced by the Governor of the Zaporozhye Region, Evgeniy Balitsky, who said that the AFU had lost “thousands of lives and a large amount of equipment” during the defense of the village. Robotine is “a symbol of all the achievements” of the AFU’s major counteroffensive in 2023 in the Zaporozhye region.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chien-su-nga-ukraine-hom-nay-ngay-2622024-ukraine-cong-bo-ke-hoach-chien-dau-nam-2024-m1-abrams-xuat-hien-305350.html