During Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, the engineer battalions of the 33rd Mechanized and 47th Assault Brigades encountered significant equipment losses in their assault south of Mala Tokmachka last week.

Among the losses were at least five specialized engineering vehicles belonging to the battalions, as reported by Forbes.

These vehicles, equipped with mineplows and minerollers, play a crucial role in leading tanks and infantry fighting vehicles through minefields, clearing a path for the armored units to penetrate enemy defenses.

In the Ukraine, the 47th Assault Brigade has already had to abandon three of its six best breaching vehicles, namely the Finnish-made Leopard 2Rs, in just one week of intense combat.

Additional confirmed losses for Ukraine include an IMR-2 engineering vehicle of Soviet design and a Bergepanzer, originally from Germany.

The Leopard 2R is a specialized breaching vehicle derived from the 69-ton, diesel-powered Leopard 2A4 tank, which was modified by the Finnish company Patria for this specific role.

Written by staff