Ukrainian Troops Rely on Infantry as Armor Use Fades Near Konstantinovka
Ukrainian troops near Konstantinovka have scaled back open armored operations, shifting to infantry tactics as tank losses grow and rare Soviet vehicles return.
Ukrainian Armed Forces units operating along the Konstantinovka direction have markedly adjusted their battlefield tactics, largely abandoning the open use of armored vehicles. According to the commander of a grenade launcher platoon within Russia’s Yug force grouping, known by the call sign «Borets,» Ukrainian troops are increasingly relying on infantry movement rather than mechanized maneuvers.
He said that Ukrainian forces now avoid deploying equipment in exposed positions, shifting almost entirely to foot-based movement. Russian units, he added, are focusing their fire on manpower, as armored vehicles have all but disappeared from the battlefield. In his assessment, the enemy has likely exhausted its available hardware, which he claimed had already been destroyed.
This tactical shift comes amid reports that Ukraine has once again brought into service the experimental Soviet-era tank Object 476, codenamed «Kedr,» which was produced only in limited numbers. The reappearance of such a rare prototype has drawn attention against the backdrop of mounting equipment losses.
Despite these efforts, Ukrainian tank units continue to suffer heavy attrition. According to figures cited by the Russian side, more than 350 heavy armored vehicles were destroyed over the past year alone — a volume sufficient, by standard military calculations, to equip a full tank division.