The U.S., meanwhile, has sent Bradley fighting vehicles, which offer better protection for troops they carry and have better firepower compared to Soviet-era armored vehicles that Ukraine has used.Īll of these vehicles can inflict high casualties and destroy other weapons systems, making them invaluable for a counteroffensive. with more than three decades of experience. They also have far better armor and can strike more accurately than Russia’s tanks, according to Craig Cartier, a retired Soviet Union analyst for the U.S. Tanks delivered thus far - which include multiple models of German Leopards and the British Challengers - are more sophisticated than the Soviet-designed T-64 and T-72 tanks Ukraine relied on at the start of the invasion. Ukraine needs the “punching force” of tanks and other fighting vehicles if it’s going to break through Russian lines, Barros said. Ukraine had plenty of artillery to begin with - but now it has American M777s and German Panzerhaubitze 2000 howitzers, both of which are more accurate and powerful than what it started the war with. Ukraine also has kept its much smaller air force made of Soviet-made Sukhoi and Mig-29 jets away from the front line and used them to launch missiles from large distances to minimize losses. Moscow’s failure to win control of Ukrainian airspace was one of the biggest surprises of the war. Russia has relied on long-range ballistic and cruise missiles to strike targets deep in Ukraine, avoiding a risk to its warplanes after losing many of them in the initial stages of the invasion. To defend against those barrages, the West has sent Ukraine the Patriot and the Avenger air defense systems.Īt $4 million per round, Patriot missiles are meant to shield against larger ballistic missile attacks, leaving simpler weapons to deal with the cheap, slow-flying Iranian exploding drones often used by the Russians.Įven with these new air defense systems, Ukraine has struggled to protect its territory against daily Russian attacks. Throughout the war, Russia has rained missiles down on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure almost daily.

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