Ukraine seizes dozens of Russian tanks left by retreating forces
- The tanks were captured as Ukraine regained territory in a major counteroffensive, mostly in the northeast
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilisation of reservists to bolster his forces in Ukraine
Ukraine’s military has grabbed dozens of tanks left by fleeing Russian troops in the east, according to people familiar with the matter, adding crucial weaponry to its arsenal nearly seven months into a war where both sides have lost manpower and machinery.
One of the people put the number of tanks captured at around 200, without specifying how many of those were operational or able to be repaired. At least some were destroyed. Another person said the cache included later design models such as T-80 tanks.
The haul – a third person described it as a significant outcome – is likely to ease some pressure on Ukraine’s forces as they head into a potentially difficult winter, when the terrain is set to become boggier and harder to navigate without tanks.
At the same time, the government in Kyiv is set to keep up its calls for more weapons from the US and its European allies, and the Russian tanks will need to be supplemented with Western-produced equipment.
Ukraine says its forces have regained at least 6,000 sq km (2,316 square miles) of territory in a counteroffensive, mostly in the northeast of the country. The speed of the advance has seen Russian forces retreat into areas that Moscow and its proxies have controlled since 2014, even as they continue to occupy large parts of southern Ukraine where Kyiv’s progress has been more limited.