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British Challenger 2 tanks finally joined the fighting in Ukraine; but it turned out that they are already burning down on the front lines. On September 5, footage shared by Ukrainian servicemen confirmed that at least one Challenger 2 tank was destroyed in the Zaporozhie region. In several hours, the local Russian officials confirmed the reports.
This is reportedly the second case of Challenger combat loss in history. The first one was destroyed by friendly fire.
The footage of the first Challenger 2 burning on the Ukrainian battlefield was shared online on September 4 and was widely spread by various military sources confirming that it was the famous British main battle tank (MBT). This was confirmed by the turret seen still attached to the hull.
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The tank was destroyed near Rabotino in the Zaporozhie region. The area has recently become one of the main battlefields of the war in Ukraine. Challenger 2 tanks are in service with the 82nd brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), which is one of the last combat-ready units from the Ukrainian reserve. This brigade entered the battles near Rabotino in mid-August and only after several weeks of prolonged fighting they managed to repel Russian forces from the small settlement.
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The destruction of the first British MBT was confirmed immediately after the first reports claimed their deployment on the frontlines. On September 3, the Ukrainian military confirmed that the tanks took part in a battle in a video interview with a servicemen of the 82nd brigade, who praised the Challenger 2 for its long-range firepower and excellent protection.
“This tank is like a sniper rifle,” the Ukrainian tanker claimed.
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Challenger 2 is the main battle tank of the British Army, developed by BAE Systems in 1994. Equipped with a 120 mm rifled L30A1 cannon and two 7.62 mm machine guns. The effective firing range is 8 km. Challenger 2 is considered one of the heaviest Western tanks, which is due to the heavy armor that turned out to be too weak against the Russian weapons. The deployment of Challenger 2 tanks in the last summer days is the last chance to use them in the offensive campaign, since their manoeuvrability in the Ukrainian steppes will drastically decrease when the rains come.
These British tanks are famous for their long-range firepower thanks to the modern 120-millimeter rifled gun and better optics and fire-controls. Ukrainians hoped to use the Challenger from a safe distance, relying on modern optics. London likely also insisted on keeping its MBTs far from the frontlines to avoid their destruction. With so few Challenger 2s in its arsenal, the 82nd Brigade apparently should not be risking them in close attacks.
However, Kiev likely ran out of the advanced military equipment in the area and is forced to throw Challengers to the battles, where they are immediately destroyed.
The mass destruction of the advanced Western vehicles on the frontlines is also the result of incompetence and insufficient training of Ukrainian crews.
Britain announced its decision to supply Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in mid-January, 2023. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak then said that a total of 14 tanks would be transferred. In March, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK, who was later fired, said that 28 MBTs would be handed over to Kiev. However, the transfer of 28 vehicles was not confirmed.
In May, Ben Wallace, then the British Defense Minister, confirmed that the promised tanks had arrived in Ukraine. According to him, the Ukrainian military positively assessed the work of the MBTs.
Kiev is insistently asking Britain to supply more tanks but London is in no hurry to fulfill the demand. The number of combat-ready tanks in the British arsenal has been reduced to 40. Moreover, Britain can no longer produce large-caliber barrels for tanks and has to disassemble the existing tanks for repairs sent to Ukraine.
Each new foreign tank burning on Ukrainian frontlines is the shame for the NATO military-industrial complex and the strongest blow to the Ukrainian lobbyists. Months ago, the Kremlin criticized the transfer of Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine. “These tanks are burning and will burn, just like the others.” said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of Russia.
