American M2s in Ukrainian hands are decimating Russian troops

American-supplied M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have been at the heart of Kyiv’s defensive tactics against Russia on one of the hottest parts of the frontlines. Here’s how the weapons are being used to decimate Russian soldiers. 

On October 10th, a powerful force of nearly 40,000 Russian soldiers launched an attack against the Ukrainian-held garrison town of Avdiivka. The move marked the first salvo in an offensive that the Kremlin has continued to pursue for months. 

Avdiivka is a major rail and highway hub in the region, which gives it a strategic value to both Kyiv and Moscow according to the New York Times. Capturing the town would allow the Russian Armed Forces to push far deeper into Donetsk Oblast. 

However, Avdiivka’s value isn’t just military but also political since the town has been on the frontlines of the conflict with Moscow ever since pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk tried to break the Oblast off from Ukraine back in 2014. 

The strategic value of the town may be why Moscow has burned so many lives trying to capture Avdiivka. Declassified US intel released in mid-December revealed that Russia had suffered 13,000 casualties fighting in the region.  

In the hottest area of the battlefield, a region known as Stepove just slightly north of the town of Avdiivka, Russian troops have faced unforgiving conditions as they've faced off against the Ukraine's 47th Brigade according to Forbes' David Axe

Armed with German Leopard 2 tanks and the American M2 Bradley, the Ukrainian 47th Brigade has been using the treelines along the region's railways to isolate Stepove from the rest of the battle according to one war analyst. 

“As Russian troops and vehicles move out from Krasnohorivka across the open fields, Ukrainian artillery and drones reduce their numbers,” wrote contemporary war analyst and US Air Force airman Donald Hill, who Forbes quoted. 

Hill went on to explain that once a Russian attack was blunted, Ukrainian forces would counterattack. These counterattacks usually included the 47th Brigade’s M2 Bradleys, which would hit the region's treelines with cannon fire. 

Small assault teams were also occasionally carried onto the battlefield by the infantry fighting vehicles in order to mop up any Russian stragglers. Once the area was clear, the troops and armor would return to their line. 

“Constantly pushing the Russians back helps preserve the defensive positions Ukraine currently occupies,” Hill explained about the fighting.” This tactic is much easier for the 47th Brigade to use because of the firepower of the Bradley.’

Sporting a 25-millimeter cannon and a welded aluminum armor hull, the M2 Bradley was designed by American engineers to counter Russia’s BMP-1 according to Military Today, and has proven invaluable to Kyiv’s struggle against Russia. 

"The shrapnel density is crazy, the firepower density is just insane… target acquisition takes seconds, just seconds,” one soldier assigned to an M2 Bradley explained about the vehicle September video released by Ukraine and quoted by Business Insider.  

“At night, this machine is absolutely priceless, simply invaluable… You capture targets much faster, [and] visibility is better than during the day,” the soldier continued, revealing the capabilities of the M2 Bradley when fighting at night. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Sgt. Eric Garland

Donald Hill explained that the M2 Bradley can confidently engage Russian armor and it has done so throughout the battles to take Avdiivka and added that the infantry fighting vehicle was also very effective against Russian soldiers. 

“Lightly-supported infantry, to say nothing of unsupported infantry, are easy pickings for armored vehicles. North of Avdiivka in November, the battle-hardened 47th Brigade’s M-2 crews really came into their own, wrote David Axe of Forbes. in a separate report.

Ukraine has received all 190 of the M2 Bradleys the United States promised to send to Kyiv, and Axe noted the Ukrainians have found the perfect place to use them. “The  Russians keep sending men and vehicles for the M2 crews to chop to pieces.”