US Bradleys hold back Russians in Ukraine, but Trump may create problems5

he U.S. has sent more than 300 M2A2 Bradleys to Ukraine, but many have been lost in combat. Soldiers of Ukraine fear Donald Trump will leave them without replacements if re-elected.

As The Times writes, US military vehicles are holding back the occupiers, but it is unclear for how long.

Most Russian equipment is no match for the Bradley. But Ukrainian forces are still being pushed back in the Donbas, and the Russians have advanced rapidly 6km over the past seven days toward the important garrison town of Pokrovsk. It is the last city in the Donetsk region before the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region. Once home to 60,000 people, the Russians have changed their tactics to fight smarter, using intelligence to attack weaker units holding Ukrainian lines.

The elite 47th Brigade, equipped with American Abrams tanks, Bradley and Paladin artillery, finds itself constantly flanked as increasingly shaky Ukrainian units are forced to retreat.

Putin's airborne assault troops are now just 20 km from Pokrovsk village, within artillery range. Russian planes are already bombing the city daily, destroying schools and kindergartens in densely populated areas, assuming that Ukrainian troops are stationed there.

On the front lines around the village of Grodovka, Bradleys are being used in "surgical fire missions" to try to hold back the advance of Russian infantry.

The U.S. has sent more than 300 M2A2 Bradleys to Ukraine, largely as part of an effort to help Kyiv rebuild territory during its counteroffensive last summer. But after more than a year of intense fighting, many have had to be sacrificed to repair others. Soldiers in the 47th are concerned that Donald Trump’s likely reelection as U.S. president will deprive them of key vehicles and ammunition. The Bradley is being called in to evacuate infantry from Russian sights. The vehicle's armor has proven more resistant to drone strikes than the legendary M1 Abrams, which is rarely used now.

Even when the vehicles are disabled, the crews usually survive. These vehicles have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of Ukrainian lives.

The Oryx team has counted 93 Bradleys damaged, destroyed or captured to date.

Crews say they desperately need modern, updated versions of the fighting vehicles, which include 360-degree cameras and Javelin anti-tank missiles. And to reverse into a trench to extract troops, the Bradley commander has to stick his head out of the commander's hatch to direct the driver, exposing himself to enemy fire.

In the trenches of Donbas, the US elections have become a topic of conversation as the troops concerned fear they will be left without equipment and weapons.