A US-made M1 Abrams tank, handed over last autumn and deployed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), was targeted at the Avdiivka area and taken to the rear, according to Russian media.
The tank would soon be delivered to Moscow for demonstration at the Patriot exhibition in Victory Park, Poklonnaya Hill, the military reported.
In March, shares of US military manufacturer General Dynamics fell amid reports that three M1 Abrams tanks had been targeted on the Ukrainian front line.
On April 20, The New York Times reported that over the past two months Russian forces had disabled five of the 31 US-made M1 Abrams tanks handed over to Ukraine last autumn.
In addition to the Abrams tank, Russian soldiers managed to seize a US-made M2A2 ODS-SA Bradley infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). A video released by Russian media showed a Bradley abandoned by Ukrainian troops near Stepove village, where the Russians had previously examined a damaged and abandoned US-made M88A1 Hercules Armoured Recovery Vehicle (ARV).
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced the opening of an exhibition of “trophy” equipment on May 1, which would feature vehicles previously taken to the Russian rear, including a German-made Marder IFV, a US-made M2 Bradley IFV, and a German-made Leopard 2A6 tank.
