Western tanks are priority targets for Russian forces, Putin says

By oliveryoung // 2023-07-20

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed that Western tanks are "priority targets" for the Russian forces. The Ukrainians seem to have noticed that as "they often refuse to man Western tanks," Putin said. "They [Western tanks] burn just as well as all the others, in fact, better than the Soviet T-72 tanks, for instance." According to Putin, his troops have destroyed over 100 Western tanks since early July as Ukraine's ongoing counter-offensive struggles to make headway. "All attempts by the enemy to break through our defenses – and this is their objective – they have not been successful for the entire time of the offensive." Overall, Putin said 311 enemy tanks had been destroyed since July 4. "At least a third of those were made in the West, including Leopards," he added. Pro-Ukrainian observers estimated in early June that around 15 percent of the American-made Bradley fighting vehicles and half the Leopard 2R tanks supplied to Ukraine had already been lost. It is impossible to verify Putin's claims, but his message is loud and clear: The Russians are not afraid of weapons and armored vehicles coming from the West.

Western tanks not helping Ukraine's counter-offensive

The Ukrainians have also conceded that their progress has been slow, essentially admitting that the tanks supplied by the West failed to give them any advantage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself said their counter-offensive has been moving "slower than desired." This is because Russia has spent months hardening fortifications and positioning reinforcements in their bid to protect territory seized since the start of its special military operations in February 2022. The Russians had mined more than 77,000 square miles of its territory, constituting the outer layer of its defenses. Ukrainian officials also pointed out Kyiv's lack of air support and the three-to-one offensive-to-defensive troop ratio that Western militaries typically want for this kind of push. But William Taylor, a former U.S. diplomat in Ukraine's capital, still thinks Ukraine has a chance to recover all occupied territories if it gets the right supplies. "A lot depends on what we provide them. We can affect the probabilities," he said. Western countries are continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons, including British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have increased Kyiv's reach into Russian-held territory. The Joe Biden administration is also planning to supply Ukraine with more sophisticated weaponry, including the Army Tactical Missile System. Just recently, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution calling for the missiles to be sent to Ukraine. Biden has also vowed to spend another $500 million in military aid, including dozens of armored vehicles to augment or replace those damaged or destroyed. (Related: U.S. announces a further $2.1 billion in military assistance for Ukraine, bringing overall total to $40 billion.) Putin and his troops must be licking their chops right now. They will have more Western toys to destroy. Read more news about the Russia-Ukraine War at WWIII.news. Watch this video of Putin claiming they are observing a lull as Ukraine suffers serious losses in its counter-offensive. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteo.com.

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Western tanks not helping Ukraine's counter-offensive

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