Footage released on July 30 has shown a Ukrainian Army M1A1 Abrams main battle tank being destroyed by Russian Army artillery, northwest of the city of Avdiivka in the disputed Donetsk region. After the heavy tank became stuck in the mud, temporarily immobilising it, a 152 mm Msta-S self propelled howitzer was used to destroy it. The artillery system fired a single Krasnopol precision guided shell, scoring a direct hit. Targeting data was provided by an Orlan-30 drone. The loss further thins the dwindling number of vehicles in service, with only 31 having been delivered while no indications have been given of further deliveries.
Ukraine’s Abrams tanks first saw combat in late February near Avdiivka, with their deployment in combat first confirmed on the 23rd of the month followed three days later by the confirmed destruction of the first tank. Heavy losses of multiple further vehicles soon followed, leading the Ukrainian Army in late April to withdraw its remaining Abrams tanks from frontline positions due to concerns regarding their vulnerability. Ukraine subsequently increased the armour protection on the vehicles, although in later engagements they continued to take major losses.
Precision guided artillery has been a leading source of confirmed kills against Abrams tanks in recent months, with one such kill confirmed on July 3, while drone footage released in early May showed that a single shot from a 2K25 Krasnopol precision-guided artillery round also destroyed one of the vehicles. A report from CNN on May 29 highlighted dissatisfaction among Ukrainian personnel with the tanks’ performance, citing both technical issues, including vulnerability of electronic components to condensation, as well as their vulnerability to Russian fire. A U.S. military source cited by the AP news agency observed that due to advances in Russian targeting capabilities “there isn’t open ground that you can just drive across without fear of detection,” with another source noting that “Russian drone warfare has made it too difficult” for the tanks “to operate without detection or coming under attack.” Vice Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Christopher Grady informed AP to similar effect: “When you think about the way the fight has evolved, massed armour in an environment where unmanned aerial systems are ubiquitous can be at risk.”