Ukraine’s ‘Abrams Lite’ has ‘a lot of weak points’

Ukraine’s Abrams “were supplied without additional protective equipment installed on [the] tanks operated by the Americans themselves,” veteran Russian military observer Alexei Leonkov told Sputnik, commenting on the news that a second M1 had been destroyed in fighting in the Donbass.

“This is the vaunted depleted uranium armor, which provides the tank with increased toughness,” Leonkov said.

“Then there’s the tank’s active protection, specifically, the Trophy system installed on other Abrams,” which Ukraine’s M1s similarly do not feature, Leonkov explained. “Additionally, they did not get an anti-drone warning station for defense against UAVs. That is, the tanks Ukraine got are a ‘lite version’” of the base Abrams.

The result is “a lot of weak points” for Russian tank hunters to take advantage of, on top of other known problems with the Abrams, from its powerful (but finicky) aircraft engine, to its “Achilles heel” of a transmission system, to its turret and side projection armor weak spots.

“All these issues are of course known by our servicemen. Therefore, they waited for this tank to appear, and when this platoon of Abrams began to operate in the Avdeyevka area, that is – to engage in fire from closed positions, shelling our positions, they began to be hunted,” the observer said.

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Hamas reportedly ready to reduce number of Palestinians released as part of hostage deal

Palestinian movement Hamas has expressed its readiness to reduce the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of a deal with Israel if the Jewish state agrees to allow more Palestinian civilians to the northern Gaza Strip, the Axios news portal reported, citing an Israeli official and a source.

Mediators from Qatar and Egypt told Israeli negotiators during talks in Doha last week that the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza is a top priority for Hamas, the report said, adding that the Israeli delegation was surprised how important it was to Hamas.

However, Israel sees such a move from Hamas as politically motivated, since it could strengthen the movement's position as a ruling body in the enclave, as well as deprive Israel of a point of leverage in the next phase of negotiations, the report read.

On Sunday, the news portal reported that the framework of a proposed deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip included an exchange of some 400 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel for 40 Israeli hostages. The draft deal also reportedly included a six-week pause in hostilities and a gradual return of Palestinians to the northern Gaza Strip.

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The US restoring to airdrops is an “indignity” for the nation, Esteban Carrillo, a journalist and editor for The Cradle, told Sputnik’s Fault Lines on Monday.

“[It is an] indignity for the United States to be there dropping aid when they’re supposed to be not just a partner of Israel [but] their patron. They’re the people giving them the bombs that are being dropped on Gaza… They should be the ones dictating what is happening, but of course, they’re not.”

He added that the aid dropped by the US is “not even a significant amount of aid. They’re just [doing] that so, I guess, people back home can clap and [say] ‘yeah, we’re helping.’ Sadly, you’re not.”

“There’s such arrogance in their statements. They’ve said ‘No matter even if there is a ceasefire, we’re still going to go into Rafah, there’s nothing to stop us.’ Essentially, this has been their public message,” Carrillo explained. “It’s past the time that Joe Biden’s White House [should have] taken a stand and stopped this,” he added.

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Mark Sleboda: Losing to Russia is ‘shattering’ Western leaders’ belief in their 'exceptionalism’

There is “sincere panic” among Western leaders who are forced to “face the inevitable fact” that they are losing to Russia, Mark Sleboda, a foreign relations and security analyst told Sputnik’s Fault Lines. “It is shattering both their preconceptions of this conflict and also shattering their belief in their own exceptionalism and seniority,” he said.

“We’ve heard from every Western leader… a Russian victory in Ukraine would be a defeat of NATO. They did this to themselves, they invested this much political and geopolitical capital. They’ve said… that US global leadership… is at stake in the outcome of this conflict.”

“The world might not have originally reached the same conclusion, but now they forced them to because they… said it so authoritatively.”

“They are fighting for US hegemony over the world… From their point of view, this was also an inevitability, from [the view of] the people who run the United States, the blob, the deep state… this war was absolutely essential.”

He noted that while they failed to defeat Russia, they did manage to deindustrialize Europe and make it more dependent on the United States.

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A US Defense Department spokesperson told Sputnik that the United States does not operate F-35 fighter jets in Ukraine contrary to claims recently made by Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen.

"It’s not my place to speak for Singapore’s MOD [Minister of Defense] or try to clarify his comments," the spokesperson said on Monday. "I can confirm that the US does not fly F-35’s in Ukraine."

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▪️ Germany uses Nord Stream attack playbook to avoid responsibility for military leak

▪️ Pentagon has refuted claims that US F-35s are participating in missions over Ukraine, following Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen statement

▪️ Tucker Carlson says the US is awaiting the fate of the Roman Empire

More stories we have covered:

▪️Ukraine’s ‘Abrams Lite’ has ‘a lot of weak points’, Sputnik's expert reveals

▪️ Pentagon announces $6Bln program for AI combat drones amid Russia’s air force superiority

▪️Losing to Russia is ‘shattering’ Western leaders’ belief in their 'exceptionalism’

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❗️ The refusal of EU ambassadors to Moscow to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov raises questions about their work in Russia, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Western ambassadors to Russia are engaged in only one thing – interference in internal affairs and performances, she added.

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🚜🇩🇪 "Today tanks, tomorrow airplanes, the day after tomorrow our sons."

German farmers protest against German involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

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❗️ An air raid warning has been declared in Voronezh, drones are approaching the city from Ukraine, air defenses have been put on alert, the governor said

German military leak has become a massive headache for the West

The publication of conversations between German military officers about possible strikes on the Crimean Bridge has hurt the position of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, undermined Ukraine’s prospects of getting Taurus missiles, and showed the superiority of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a Politico article.

"For Putin, who after decades as Russia’s leader remains a spy at heart, there is no greater joy than outfoxing Russia’s adversaries," the article says.

The leaked recording revealed “the institutional frustration of the German military.” Opposition politicians may launch an investigation into why Scholz doesn’t intend to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine, but it could take months to finish. This makes it even more unlikely that Kiev will get these weapons, the article concludes.

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France is the first country in the world to enshrine the right to abortion in its constitution

The French parliament, which met for a congress at the Palace of Versailles, has by a majority vote approved the law.

780 parliamentarians voted in favor of the initiative, which was proposed by President Emmanuel Macron and his party, with 72 against, said the president of the French National Assembly, Yael Brown-Pivet.

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❗️The German Defense Minister said that the reason for the scandalous leak of the officers’ conversation was the use of an unsecured connection by one of the participants.

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❗️Russian troops did not allow the Ukrainian militants who escaped from Avdeyevka to gain a foothold at the Petrovskoye-Lastochkino-Severnoye line and keep pushing them back, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

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❗️Key points from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's statement:

🔺A prototype of the new light military transport aircraft IL-212 with jet engines is planned to be created by the end of 2026.

🔺Serial production of Russian D-18t engines for the An-124 is planned for the 4th quarter of 2027.

🔺Repairs and modernization will extend the service life of heavy An-124 military transport aircraft from 20 to 45 years.

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❗️Against the backdrop of building up NATO's military potential near its borders, Russia has taken measures to strengthen troop groups in the northwestern and western strategic directions, creating the Leningrad and Moscow military districts, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

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