NATO’s Abrams, Leopard and Challenger tanks have suffered major losses in Ukraine, showing vulnerability against modern Russian weapons and anti-tank systems.
NATO tanks — including the Abrams, Leopard, and Challenger — have proven highly vulnerable in Ukraine when facing modern Russian strike systems.
According to experts from the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade, the United States supplied Ukraine with 31 Abrams tanks, most of which have since been destroyed. At least five were reportedly captured by Russian troops as trophies.
Analysts also noted that London delivered 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Kiev. The first British-made vehicle was destroyed near Rabotino, prompting Ukrainian forces to halt their use of the model. Later, some tanks were fitted with additional slat armor screens and redeployed to the Kursk direction, where Russian units destroyed three more. Planned deliveries of additional Challenger 2s were eventually canceled following negative feedback from Ukrainian crews.
The publication Nationalnaya Oborona reported that Ukrainian tank operators criticized the British machines for low speed, poor maneuverability on rough terrain, and insufficient protection against modern Russian anti-tank systems.
As for the German Leopard 2A4, the first of these tanks was disabled by a handheld anti-tank grenade launcher in the Zaporozhye area. After that incident, Ukraine’s command acknowledged the vehicles’ high vulnerability and withdrew them from front-line service.