Battlefield Impact: Ukraine's US-supplied Bradleys remain a formidable force

According to the U.S. Department of State, the United States has provided Ukraine with over 300 Bradley Fighting Vehicles since Russia's invasion of the country, and approximately one-third of these vehicles have been destroyed by Russian forces.

As of August 29th, Ukraine's visually confirmed losses of Bradley Fighting Vehicles had reached 99 based on photo and video evidence reviewed by the Dutch open-source intelligence firm Oryx.

However, the reason why so many Bradleys have likely been knocked out of the war by Russia is because they have proven to be one of the best and most useful weapon systems of the entire conflict.

Russian forces are reportedly avoiding head-on battles with Ukraine’s American-supplied Bradley Fighting Vehicles according to remarks from a commander of Ukraine’s 47th Mechanized Brigade.   

"Russians know what a Bradley is," the Bradley commander said in a statement posted to the 47th Mechanized Brigade’s Telegram channel Newsweek reported. "They do not want to meet this machine head-on. I probably wouldn't want to if I were them either."

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

According to Newsweek, all of the over 300 M2A2 Bradleys the U.S. has supplied to Ukraine are deployed with the 47th Mechanized Brigade and they have been used in some of the worst hotspots on the front. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

Ukraine’s Bradleys have also provided some of the most gripping combat footage in recent months from their encounters with Russian forces along the frontlines, including a rare footage of a head-on fight between a Bradley and a Russian armored personnel carrier. 

The footage was captured by a drone from the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and it showed the gripping moment when the military vehicles faced off against one another while traveling on opposite sides of a dirt road. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

In the video, a Russian armored vehicle equipped with drone defense cages and troops sitting on top can be seen racing down a dirt road firing its main weapon at an unknown target, all the while being hit by enemy fire. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

Halfway through the nearly one-minute combat footage, the unknown vehicle shooting at the armored comes into view and races down the road past the Russian vehicle as it continues to fire at the armored personnel carrier. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

A caption published along with the combat footage on the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade’s Telegram channel revealed some of the context of the fight and why one of its prized M2 Bradlys was facing off against the Russian vehicle. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

“The soldiers of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade are holding back at least three Russian combat brigades,” the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade’s caption explained according to a translation from Business Insider. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

“With huge manpower reserves, the Muscovites are quickly replenishing their heavy losses and throwing them back into battle. The fighting does not stop for a moment," the caption continued. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

The Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi also reported on the encounter and noted that the unknown Russian vehicle in the video was likely a BTR-82A, which has a rather powerful 30mm machine gun according to Business Insider. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Militarnyi explained that the Russian BTR-82A breached into a village, which promoted the M2 Bradley to barrel towards the vehicle and intercept it before it could accomplish its mission. This led to disaster for some Russians. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

“At one moment, [the] Bradley and the BTR-82A narrowly avoided [the] collision, leaving mere meters between the combat vehicles,” Militaryni wrote about the close encounter between the two military vehicles. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

As the BTR-82A raced towards the Ukrainian M2 Bradley, soldiers riding on top of the Russian vehicle could be seen falling off and rolling to the ground. The BTR-82A later moved off the road and lost even more soldiers. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

At some point prior to the close-up encounter, the M2 fired a shot that seemed to hit its mark and damage the BTR-82A somewhere in the rear of the vehicle. It would continue to smoke through the remainder of the video. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

More soldiers fell off the BTR-82A after it passed the M2 Bradley and then it appeared to move into a position behind a group of buildings as smoke from the vehicle continued to billow from the rear. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

The BTR-82A was last seen knocking over some trees blocking its position before the video ends. The fate of the Russian vehicle was left unknown as was the fate of the M2 Bradley crew and its vehicle, though it appeared undamaged in the footage. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

A spokesperson of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade reported that the BTR-82A "subsequently exploded on mines laid by Ukraine's Defence Forces,” according to a quote Business Insider published. 

The Telegram channel Deepstate reported that the encounter took place outside of the village of Sokil in Donetsk Oblast, not far from the currently embattled town of Chasiv Yar according to Business Insider. However, that information has not been verified. 

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