The Surprising Defeat of $10 Million Tanks by Russia’s Cheap Drones

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has been marked by intense battles, with both sides utilizing advanced military technologies. Russia launched a full-scale invasion with a significant number of tanks and armored vehicles, while Ukraine, facing a numerical disadvantage, received donated tanks from its allies. In January 2023, the U.S. agreed to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine following a vigorous campaign by Kyiv, which deemed these tanks highly crucial for Ukraine. Each tank costs about $10 million. This decision underscored the growing support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, and the M1 Abrams tanks finally arrived in Ukraine in September 2023. The arrival of these long-awaited US-made tanks was expected to bolster Ukraine’s ability to break through enemy lines. However, the challenging terrain proved to be more formidable than anticipated, with Russian forces destroying five out of the 31 US Abrams tanks within just two months. As a result of the failure to protect these valuable assets, Ukraine has opted to withdraw all American Abrams M1A1 battle tanks from the frontlines. This decision was driven by the increasing threat posed by Russian drones. It is ironic that these drones, which are significantly cheaper than the tanks, were able to neutralize such expensive military vehicles. This raises the question: How could these highly expensive tanks fall victim to Russian cheap drones? -------------------------------------------------------------- Attributions: By Mrkoww - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,