Russia lost at least 130 tanks and armored personnel carriers in a three-week battle in Ukraine’s southern town of Vuhledar, media reported.
The New York Times said that it was the “biggest tank battle of the war so far, and a stinging setback for the Russians,” citing Ukrainian officials. The report claimed that the large-scale defeat was caused by a lack of expertise as “many of their most elite units had been left in shambles from earlier fighting.” The newly conscripted personnel lack experience and knowledge of Ukraine’s tactics of ambushing tank columns.
“Blown up by mines, hit with artillery or obliterated by anti-tank missiles, the charred hulks of Russian armored vehicles now litter farm fields all about Vuhledar, according to Ukrainian military drone footage,” the report said.
Vuhledar is a coal-mining town in the Donetsk region of Ukraine and is one of the key targets of Russia’s offensive in the south and east of the country. Earlier in February, media reported that Moscow lost an elite brigade of 5,000 soldiers near the town. A recent research from the Center for Strategic and International Studies tallies the number of Russians killed or missing in Ukraine since last February at between 60,000 and 70,000, which makes it the highest toll of any post-WWII conflict. – i24 News
