What is believed to be the first video footage of a Bradley fighting vehicle captured intact by Russian forces has surfaced on social media, sparking controversy. But another detail worries Kyiv forces more.

The video was shot by fighters of the “Kertsi” detachment of the Russian army, who are fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, where the main offensive actions of Kyiv are currently concentrated.

It should be noted that images of a Bradley car allegedly captured by Russian troops appeared on social networks on June 13, a few days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyi admitted that the long-awaited Ukrainian offensive had begun.

But in this case, it was a damaged and abandoned car by Ukrainian forces, and not a seemingly whole and functional one, as can be seen in a new video recorded near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region.

The images were independently geolocated based on another footage taken by Russian soldiers who claimed to have captured an American combat vehicle.

Bradley, allegedly captured by the Russians, caused a stir among war watchers

Interestingly, the administrators of the Ukraine Weapons Tracker page, known for tracking the equipment of both armies fighting in Ukraine, deny that Bradley in the images was indeed captured by Russian forces.

They showed another video that appeared to suggest the vehicle had actually been hit by an anti-tank gun, an improvised drone grenade and a kamikaze drone before Russian soldiers filmed themselves.

Although Ukraine Weapons Trakcer does not directly state why it objects to the seizure of an American combat vehicle, regardless of its condition, other observers of the Ukrainian war have explained the reason: for a vehicle to be considered captured, it must also be towed. enemy to be taken to their positions.

In other words, the images that have surfaced so far only confirm that Russian infantrymen in the area posed with the Bradley, not that it was towed away by the Russian army to prevent it from being taken by the Ukrainians.

By the way, in the third video, which was shot by the fighters of the “Kerchi” detachment, you can see how they are bragging about the “kindnesses” taken from the American car, but they are nowhere to be seen:

However, it should be noted that the administrators of the Ukraine Weapons Tracker page may be biased in this case, as in other cases they have published videos of Russian tanks and armored vehicles captured by Ukrainians without reporting whether they were taken or not. their positions.

But even Oryx, an independent website that tracks equipment losses by both the Ukrainian and Russian militaries, has so far failed to include in its report that the Russians captured any Bradley armored vehicles.

How many American Bradleys did the Ukrainians lose?

According to centralized Oryx data, the Ukrainian army lost 32 Bradley Fighting Vehicles, of which 15 were destroyed, 14 were damaged, and 3 were damaged and abandoned. Knocked out tanks are classified as casualties for the same reason that wounded are classified as casualties: they are disabled and can no longer fight at the front.

In total, the United States promised to transfer 113 Bradley vehicles to Ukraine, more than 60 were delivered by the end of January. Although the Pentagon did not make additional statements on this matter, the NATO Secretary General said on April 27 that Western partners had delivered more than 98% of the promised combat vehicles to Kyiv.

Jens Stoltenberg also stated at the time that Kyiv’s Western partners provided Ukraine with more than 1,550 units of armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, including “a large amount of ammunition.”

If we assume that among the machines mentioned by Stoltenberg are all the Bradleys promised by the USA, then the level of losses (32 out of 113) of the Ukrainian army in relation to this model of armored vehicles is approaching a third. The percentage could be higher, given that Oryx maintains only losses confirmed by photos, videos and other open sources on the balance sheet.

Although several U.S. officials and Western analysts reminded last month that the role of these vehicles is to carry soldiers to the front and that casualties are normal during an offensive, the level of Bradley casualties should be worrisome at least in light of the fact that it probably exceeded 33% given that Kyiv has not yet thrown the main part of its forces into the offensive.

And the biggest loss associated with these vehicles is not their ability to transport troops to the front, but the fact that the Ukrainian forces are deprived of their powerful BGM-71 TOW rocket launcher systems, the weapon they made. General Mark Gertling describes them as potential “tank killers”. “.

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