The counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces in which they have recaptured occupied territory has been given a boost thanks to their obtainment of Russian tanks, British defense officials said.
Ukraine relies on western military support in its fight but it can also count on the contribution made by its aggressor, with repurposed captured Russian equipment comprising a large proportion of Ukraine’s military hardware, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.
The ministry said on Friday that Ukraine had likely captured at least 440 Russian main battle tanks (MBTs), and around 650 other armored vehicles since the start of the invasion on February 24. It calculated that “over half of Ukraine’s currently fielded tank fleet may be captured vehicles from the Russians.”
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“The failure of Russian crews to destroy intact equipment before withdrawing or surrendering highlights their poor state of training and low levels of battle discipline,” the defense officials said.
It added that with Russian formations under “severe strain in several sectors” and with “increasingly demoralized troops, Russia will likely continue to lose heavy weaponry.”
Newsweek reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment.
The findings align with other accounts of Russian weaponry being abandoned on the battlefield as Vladimir Putin’s troops hastily retreat.
One Ukrainian soldier called Birdie told The Telegraph that Russian troops had “left a huge amount of vehicles and ammunition” during the Kharkiv counteroffensive. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russian troops abandoned large numbers of tanks, other armored vehicles, howitzers and armor.
An unnamed artillery officer told the newspaper that the Russians “no longer have a firepower advantage,” after leaving behind heavy weapons and warehouses of supplies in a disorganized retreat.
Ukraine had previously struggled to match Russia in firepower and relied on Russian or Soviet equipment.
But the WSJ reported that Russian equipment was being turned on Putin’s troops as Ukraine advances beyond the recently recaptured city of Lyman in the Donbas region.
The website Oryx, an open-source outlet that tracks military-equipment usage and losses, counted 449 Russian tanks captured by Ukrainians as of Friday.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces posted a mocking tweet on September 11 saying that Russia “is trying to maintain its status as the largest supplier of military equipment for the Ukrainian army.”
The Ukrainian Army “loves its trophy ammo,” it added.