The Armed Forces of Ukraine have been forced to keep American M1A1 Abrams tanks away from the front line after the machines suffered heavy losses in Russian strikes, writes Military Watch Magazine, quoted by Focus.
The Abrams tanks supplied to Ukraine by the United States were first used in combat in February 2024, but soon suffered heavy losses. According to an assessment published by the publication in early June 2025, by this time the Ukrainian Armed Forces had lost 87 percent of these tanks. Most were destroyed, and some – abandoned and captured.
In 2025, Australia delivered 49 more Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which had previously been decommissioned by its own army. The decision not to use them on the front line, according to Military Watch magazine, may have been a result of experience with the vulnerability of this type of tank.
Ukrainian soldiers point to its large size as one of the Abrams' main weaknesses.
"It is very tall — and very large — so it is difficult to hide“, points out one of the Ukrainian soldiers.
Soviet-designed tanks, unlike the Abrams, have a lower profile, which makes them harder to spot.
Ukrainian crews highly appreciate the Abrams' accuracy and maneuverability, and in particular its engine. The Soviet T-80 also uses this type of engine, and crews of both tanks have highlighted its ability to navigate difficult terrain where other vehicles, such as the German Leopard, can get stuck.
Maintenance is also a problem. The Abrams' chassis requires frequent inspections and maintenance, while its gas turbine engine consumes large amounts of fuel. Therefore, the Ukrainian tanks have been modified to use diesel fuel instead of the standard JP-8 aviation fuel.
A Ukrainian operator with the call sign "Kubik" explained why the tanks are not currently used closer to the front line.
"We are not using them anymore - there is no way... The enemy has significantly developed its drone component and we do not have the means to counter it yet," said "Kubik".
Another drawback is the lack of active protection systems. According to the report, not a single tank in the Ukrainian army has such a system, while in Western armies they began to enter service since the mid-2020s.
Since 2024, Russia has begun introducing active protection systems for T-90M and T-72B3 tanks, providing them with a certain degree of protection from weapons that attack targets from above, including unmanned aerial vehicles and drones.
The "Arena-M" system continues to be modernized to provide better protection against drone attacks, while the Abrams tank does not have such a system, which the magazine points out as one of its main shortcomings.