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A composite image of a damaged Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle shared by Ukrainian official Hanna Maliar on June 15, 2023, along with the unnamed driver.Hanna Maliar/Telegram/Insider
Footage from Ukraine shows how US-donated equipment is making a difference in the war.
An official described how a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle took a direct hit but kept going.
Tough vehicles like the Bradley are tougher than Ukraine’s own equipment and could give it an edge.
A series of photos shared by Ukraine shows how the US-donated Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles are proving their worth in the fight against Russia.
The pictures were shared on Telegram Thursday morning by Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
Her message showed a beaten up Bradley, fresh from battle.
The IFV was part of Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade, which was involved in heavy fighting during the recent Ukrainian counter-offensive.
According to Maliar, the vehicle took a direct hit from a Russian Grad missile system, but was strong enough to keep going while protecting everyone inside.
A damaged Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle in a photo shared by a Ukrainian official.Hanna Maliar/Telegram
After being hit, the vehicle’s crew evacuated and the driver was able to get it to safety and extinguish the fire, Maliar said.
A photo showed the scorched vehicle, which she said was being repaired.
She also shared images of the crew, below, and a close-up of the driver, seen above.
A group of Ukrainian soldiers in front of a Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, seemingly captured before it was damaged.Hanna Maliar/Telegram
Observers have recorded heavy losses among Bradley IFVs in Ukraineas Insider’s Mia Jankowicz reported earlier this week.
As of Thursday, the open source site Oryx, which tracks visual evidence of losses, reported that 16 Bradleys were destroyed or damaged and abandoned on the battlefield.
Losing the equipment is clearly worse than not losing it, especially since the reported losses make up a large portion of the 109 Bradleys sent to Ukraine by the US.
But, Maliar noted, the purpose of the IFVs isn’t to be invincible, but to protect the soldiers within so they can survive to fight again.
The fast-moving, weapon-mounted vehicles can provide some firepower – even a threat to tanks – as they move troops to where they need to be.
Analysts have noted that Bradleys are significantly better at this than the weaker Soviet BMP vehicles that both Ukraine and Russia deployed extensively during the conflict.
Story continues
“Russians – they don’t take crew survivability as seriously as we take crew survivability, and that’s very important for the Ukrainians,” said the retired US Army general. Peter Chiarelli narrated Task and Purpose.
Bradleys, said Chiarelli, “make for some great overwatch for the infantry.”
Over the weekend, during fighting near the small town of Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, one Bradley suffered only minor damage from a direct hit, and his soldiers quickly evacuated almost unscathed. That reports NBC News.
It is unclear if this was the same Bradley Maliar that was mentioned. NBC also reported that other Bradleys were damaged or partially destroyed.
Ukrainian soldier Anton Borshch told NBC that the vehicles made a big difference. “My guys ride a Bradley, they calmly clear the landing and can also evacuate dead and wounded from the battlefield,” he said.
In short, the resilience of the US-donated equipment could give the Ukrainian armed forces an edge on the battlefield.
Read the original article Business Insider
