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Ukraine - Russia Invasion conflict
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Recent online interviews with Russian artillerymen on Telegram reveal that the Caesar cannon is now their most feared weapon, inflicting significant damage on their forces. Despite occasional contradictory statements from Ukrainian sources about the effectiveness of CAESAR, the reality on the ground speaks for itself. The Russians even describe the French CAESAR as a true nightmare.
Since their deployment on the Ukrainian front, the M1A1 Abrams SA tanks have shown significant vulnerabilities to drone attacks, raising questions about the durability of what is considered one of the most advanced armored vehicles in the world. According to a senior American official, five of the 31 Abrams tanks sent by the Pentagon to Ukraine have been destroyed and at least three others have suffered moderate damage over the past two months, as reported by the New York Times on April 20, 2024.
According to a series of images circulated on Russian social media, Russian troops have reportedly evacuated and captured an American armored vehicle, the M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle (ABV), from the Ukrainian front. This vehicle was lost by the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the end of February 2024. These images were widely shared and disseminated on Russian social media as of April 25, 2024, marking the first documented capture of the American M1150.
On April 23, 2024, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had targeted and destroyed a launcher of the MIM-23 HAWK air defense system belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces on April 22, 2024, in the Kharkiv region.
On April 23, 2024, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that the armed forces would receive new military assets by year's end, including the initial deployment of the S-500 anti-aircraft missile system in two different configurations. Additional systems such as the S-400, S-300V4, Buk-M3, and Tor-M2U anti-aircraft missile systems, along with new generation radar stations, are also scheduled for delivery. Given the emphasis on air defense systems, it is likely that all these systems are intended for troops in Ukraine.
On April 22, 2024, the Defense Procurement Agency of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense finalized contracts for the acquisition of 4,000 Chinese drones, comprising 3,000 DJI Mavic 3E and 1,000 DJI Mavic 3T unmanned aerial systems. Valued at 575.2 million Ukrainian hryvnias (approximately $14.478.456,98), these acquisitions are part of Ukraine's broader objective to acquire a total of 20,000 DJI drones through the Prozorro platform.
On April 21, 2024, video footage released by Russian media confirmed that Russian soldiers captured the first Leopard 2A6 tank supplied to Ukraine, which likely belonged to the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The captured tank, the most advanced model of the Leopard 2 tanks provided to Ukraine, is expected to undergo a detailed examination by the Russian military before being placed on public display.
According to information released on April 20, 2024, by the British Army Intelligence Services, the Ukrainian Air Defense shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE C strategic bomber on April 19, 2024, employing a Soviet-era S-200 (NATO Code named SA-5 Gammon) air defense missile system. This significant event marks the first time Ukrainian forces have successfully downed a Russian strategic bomber, highlighting a critical enhancement in their defensive capabilities against Russian aerial assaults.
On 18 April 2024, Ukrainian forces confirmed hitting a Russian Tu-22M3 bomber during a nighttime attack on Kyiv. A video shared on Russian social media appears to confirm that the aircraft crashed in the Stavropol region of Russia as it was attempting to return to its base at Shpakovskoye after being struck by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile. It is speculated that the Russian Tu-22M3 bomber was hit by a Ukrainian S-200 air defense system.
On 18 April 2024, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, attended a presentation of a range of modernized military equipment, including the BMP-1TS infantry fighting vehicle and the Oncilla armored vehicle as well as the Mbombe 6 6x6 wheeled armored in Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV) version developed by the South African company, Paramount Group equipped with the locally developed BM-5 turret, already seen on the BMP-1TS.
On the morning of April 17, 2024, Ukrainian forces reportedly launched an attack using ATACMS ballistic missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles against the Russian airbase at Dzhankoi, located in the northern part of occupied Crimea. The first strike of this attack reportedly hit the positions of the S-400 Triumph air defense system, destroying three launchers and one radar unit. This overnight attack was described by multiple sources, including photos, videos, and satellite sensor imagery, indicating substantial damage to the Russian military's air defense capabilities at the base.
