LONDON, September 5. /TASS/. The elite units of the 47th Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine’s Armed Forces in the vanguard of a Ukrainian southward counteroffensive are losing thousands of personnel, despite them having undergone training in Germany or being equipped with cutting-edge Western weapons, The Times reported.

According to the British daily, the brigade was "eulogized by Ukrainian and Western media" even before the counteroffensive started as it had been trained in Germany and was equipped with US-made Bradley armored personnel carriers and Leopard tanks. However, no sooner had it spearheaded the main attack on the southern front than it "suffered heavy losses," the newspaper writes. According to it, Ukrainian medics say the unit’s casualties "have run into four figures."

This, The Times said, is because the unit is lacking the necessary air support and mine-clearing abilities. As a result, Western-made "armored vehicles were frequently immobilized in Russian minefields and then pounded with artillery," the newspaper added.

Established in April 2022, the 47th Brigade is considered one of the most capable Ukrainian units. It was trained in Europe, including at the US base in Germany’s Grafenwoehr.