Ukraine's most coveted Western tanks, procured at $10 million each with great fanfare in early 2023, now sit largely idle in forests. The 33rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, formed to operate these tanks, finds them no match for cheap drones dominating the battlefield. "We're making virtually no use of armored vehicles," former top general Oleksandr Syrskyi said recently, a strategic dispute that contributed to his removal last month. By the time British, German, and American tanks entered combat in spring 2023, Russian drones were striking tanks at vulnerable points.

Both sides added anti-drone cages and reactive armor, but heavy armor assaults largely ceased. Tank crews like those in the 33rd Brigade, commanded by officers using call signs Morpheus, Energetyk, and Fin, maintain readiness through biweekly live-fire exercises and constant maintenance. Soldier Yuri Kosenko, 57, described frontline conditions filled with "mosquitoes" — both biting insects and exploding drones.

Despite limited combat use, Ukraine continues training and adapting tanks, seeking ways to neutralize drone advantages and give armor a "new lease on life" in modern warfare.