Western tanks are proving ineffective against Russia's multi-layered minefields, top Ukrainian general says

Ukrainian soldiers of the 4th Brigade operate a tank during military training in southern Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on 18 July 2023.

Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

• Ukraine is struggling to break through Russian minefields, a top Ukrainian general told the BBC.
• This is despite having Western battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, he said. 
• Some troops are now using Soviet-era tanks to clear the minefields, the BBC reported. 

Western tanks are proving ineffective against Russia's multi-layered minefields in the south of Ukraine, a top Ukrainian general told the BBC on Thursday. 

Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said that Western battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles gifted to Ukraine have not been able to get through the rows of Russian mines on the frontlines, slowing down their much-anticipated counteroffensive. 

Some of the vehicles have become badly damaged, he said, forcing Ukrainian units to leave them behind and advance slowly on foot, at risk of coming under artillery fire. 

Russian troops have shown "professional qualities" by stopping Ukrainian forces from "advancing quickly," Tarnavskyi told the BBC, adding: "I don't underestimate the enemy."

Many Western-made vehicles — including several Leopard tanks and US Bradley fighting vehicles — have already been badly damaged, the BBC reported.

One engineer, who has been trying to fix the vehicles, told the outlet that some of them are beyond repair and will have to be either taken apart for spare parts or "returned to our partners."

"The faster we can repair them, the faster we can get them back to the front line to save someone's life," the engineer, identified only as Serhii, told the BBC.

Nearly a third of the Bradley armored vehicles sent to Ukraine have already been put out of action, according to open-source data.

Some Ukrainian troops have been forced to resort to using Soviet-era tanks to help clear minefields, the BBC reported, though their specialist mine-clearing equipment is not always sufficient enough to detect explosives that are hidden deep in the ground.

Ukrainian officials are requesting more mine-clearance equipment to help improve their ground capabilities, Insider's Alia Shoaib previously reported.

But Tarnavsky remains positive about the attack, telling the BBC: "Slow or not, the offensive is taking place and it will definitely reach its goal."

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