Western military hardware loss mounts in Kursk region offensive
The Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region is proving costly. American media suggest that this can be seen, for example, in the armoured vehicles, which the Ukrainians are losing at twice the rate of the defending Russians.
Journalists from "Forbes" have drawn this conclusion. They cite data provided by an Oryx analyst, indicating that in the first nine days of the invasion, Ukrainians lost at least four tanks and over 40 different types of armoured vehicles. The losses include not just older Soviet-era designs but also Western equipment. This is a consequence of the decision to deploy some elite Ukrainian brigades with NATO-supplied equipment to the Kursk region.
Significant Ukrainian losses in the Kursk region
Among the Western vehicles hit by the Russians are primarily American Stryker transporters used by units such as the 80th Air Assault Brigade.
They have a transport compartment that can hold up to nine soldiers. The armament includes a Browning M2 machine gun with a calibre of 12.7 mm, a range of about 2 kilometres, and an Mk 19 grenade launcher with a calibre of 40 mm. The Stryker is an 8x8 wheeled vehicle with a 350 HP engine, allowing it to reach speeds of up to 90 km/h.
Western equipment falls into Russian hands
As reported by Łukasz Michalik, a journalist for Wirtualna Polska, the Russians have also captured a Stryker vehicle. Their list of equipment destroyed also includes a Polish PT-91 Twardy tank, likely taken out by a Russian Lancet-3 drone.
The PT-91 Twardy is a deep modernization of the Soviet T-72. Ukraine received dozens of PT-91 Twardy tanks from Poland and highly values them, noting they are noticeably better and more durable than their Soviet predecessors. The key improvements are the ERAWA reactive armour and a better engine.
Challenger 2 destroyed in Kursk region?
In the clashes in the Kursk region, the Ukrainians also deployed Marder infantry fighting vehicles received from Germany. On August 15 at 3 PM EST, Sky News reported that the Ukrainian army was also using Challenger 2 tanks supplied by the United Kingdom in their ongoing offensive. Based on these reports, Russian propagandists posted photos on social media allegedly showing the destruction of such a tank in the Kursk region. However, the photos were so narrowly cropped that they do not constitute incontrovertible proof.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, only one Challenger 2 has been confirmed destroyed. This happened in September 2023, marking a significant success for the Russians, as no one had previously managed to eliminate this tank during military operations. The British tank is distinguished primarily by its multi-layered Chobham/Dorchester armour and the rifled L30A1 120 mm gun.
