war in Ukraine
Ukrainian commander: French armored personnel carriers unsuitable for the front
In the war in Ukraine, the French AMX-10 RC armored personnel carriers can only be used in support – according to a commander, they are not suitable for the front line (archive image)
© EMMANUEL DUNAND, AFP
Infantry fighting vehicles delivered from France should not be usable by units in Ukraine on the front lines because of their thin armor. There have already been fatalities in a Russian artillery fire. A tank from the USA, on the other hand, saves lives.
This article first appeared on ntv.de
Apparently, the Ukrainian army is dissatisfied with the AMX-10 RC infantry fighting vehicle from France. A battalion commander told the AFP news agency that the cannon was good, but the highly mobile, sometimes referred to as “light” tanks were “not suitable” for attacks, as the British “Guardian” reports. With their thin armor, they could Vehicles are therefore used to support, but not at the forefront.
“Unfortunately, there was already a case in which a crew of four died in the vehicle,” the commander explained the problem. “There was artillery fire, a shell exploded near the vehicle. The fragments penetrated the armor, then the ammunition in the vehicle detonated.”
Other Western troop carriers and tanks, such as the American Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, which regularly comes into contact with Russian troops during the Ukrainian counter-offensive, are much better suited for use at the front. According to the Dutch portal Oryx, which documents Ukrainian and Russian material losses and verifies them with available images, 25 Bradley tanks have already been destroyed or damaged in Russian attacks in recent weeks and left behind. However, the most important weapon system on board the vehicles seemed to have survived in many cases, as described by military observers: the Ukrainian soldiers.
“A perfect vehicle”
After Russia aggressively advertised images of several destroyed Bradley and Leopard tanks in early June, Ukrainian soldiers recently said they would probably not be alive without the Western vehicles. “We were hit several times,” a Bradley driver who was affected told ABC News a few days ago. “If we were driving a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle, we would probably all be dead and I wouldn’t be standing here anymore. The Bradley is a perfect vehicle.”
The American infantry fighting vehicle was first hit by a mortar shell and then by two artillery shells during a Ukrainian attack on Russian positions. “Almost all of us had concussions and were disoriented. But we made it out and were able to get to safety,” says the Ukrainian driver.
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A few days ago, the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov confirmed that the Ukrainian counter-offensive is currently “in a kind of preparatory phase” and that the current fighting is about saving as many soldiers’ lives as possible for the main attack – unlike Russia, which willingly sends his troops to the meat grinder, as Resnikov explained.