Skala received Australian Abrams tanks

The 425th Assault Regiment Skala has received an unspecified number of Australian-supplied M1 Abrams tanks. Most of the vehicles arrived in Ukraine in July, with the final delivery completed just days ago.

The disclosure coincides with the first visually confirmed loss of an Australian-supplied M1 Abrams tank. Video footage, shared by the regiment, shows a Skala armored group, supported by attached infantry, conducting a counterattack aimed at entering the industrial zone on the northwestern outskirts of Pokrovsk, as geolocated by imi.

While the overall outcome of the operation remains unclear, the footage confirms the loss of one M1 Abrams tank as well as a BMP-1TS infantry fighting vehicle.

Loyality pays off

While veteran mechanized brigades such as the 30th and 72nd Mechanized Brigades are unable to field even a single tank company—despite mechanized brigades traditionally being structured around a full tank battalion—and continue to rely on Soviet-era tanks, loyal units such as Skala are receiving the latest Western equipment, including M2 Bradley 1A3 Marder infantry fighting vehicles.

MilitaryLand has previously written about a noticeable shift within the Defense Forces since General Oleksandr Syrskyi assumed leadership, in which loyalty has taken priority. Units that raise concerns or question orders—particularly when doing so to preserve the lives of their soldiers—are often met with punitive measures. In many cases, this begins with an internal audit of the brigade and ends with the dismissal of its commander.