Ukraine Gave Its Best Tanks To An Inexperienced Brigade
Why does the 160th Mechanized Brigade have M-1s?
This story was commissioned by Euromaidan Press. Since Substack pays only around a fifth of my bills, I have no choice but to take on a lot of freelance work. I still want my Substack audience to know where to read those freelance stories, however. Hence this excerpt.
The Ukrainian army’s 160th Mechanized Brigade is the fourth unit confirmed to operate American-made M-1 Abrams tanks. On Friday, the brigade posted photos of one of its 69-ton, four-person M-1s with its custom-made anti-drone armor.
“The Abrams tank is a force that can pave the way where the enemy is trying to hold its ground,” the 160th Mechanized Brigade stated. “Powerful armor, accurate fire and a crew ready to take on the most difficult tasks.”
It’s a seemingly odd pairing, however. The other units that operate Ukraine’s small inventory of M-1s are widely considered elite units: the 47th Mechanized Brigade, the 425th Assault Regiment and the 1st Assault Regiment. Why did the general staff in Kyiv assign Abrams to a somewhat immature mechanized brigade, many of whose battalions are still undergoing initial training?
Yes, some of the 160th Mechanized Brigade’s subunits have seen combat in eastern and southern Ukraine since the brigade officially formed in 2024. But the 160th Mechanized Brigade troopers always fought under the command of much more experienced units including the 71st Jaeger Brigade, the 23rd and 155th Mechanized Brigades and the 425th Assault Regiment.
Read the rest at Euromaidan Press.