Russian telegram channels posted videos of fiber optic cable FPV strikes on a Ukrainian Abrams tank in Kursk oblast last week. Aside from a concussion, the crew survived without injury and made it back to friendly lines.

Michael Kofman and Rob Lee spoke to the commander of the tank from Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade about what happened, and here is what he told us:

That's our tank. But they only posted two of the strikes. Yesterday [from last week] was the first time that the crew survived multiple hits while inside a disabled Abrams. Actually, there were 4-6 direct hits. The crew survived, and even without injuries. God bless America.

Fiber-optic FPVs. Between four and six hits within like 2 minutes. I believe that at least one more got stuck in the net. Two more missed several minutes before. They apparently hit the engine. They were unable to penetrate either the turret or the hull elsewhere while we were inside. Although they tried and had a lot of time.

As I said, this tank had a unique 'cope cage' (actually, 'cope netting') and a lot more ERA than an average Abrams. We – the crew – designed the arrangement of the ERA completely on our own based on an analysis of the previous hits on all the other Abrams tanks and our own knowledge of the weak spots, and that's why we still live after so many simultaneous strikes. And that's why the Abrams rocks. Would be impossible on a [Russian/Soviet] T series tank.

Russian FPV crews hit the tank with several more FPVs after it was abandoned, but the tank was not destroyed and might still be salvageable. Because of recent advances, Russian forces may capture it.

When I asked how they made it back to friendly lines,

On foot. It was close to the Russian positions. We finished the combat mission and drove back just 1 km from the Russians or even less. We could not evacuate because the FPVs were coming one after another. When I finally could hear no sound, we just jumped out of the tank and ran to a treeline. They were tracking us, so a mortar started working with some more drones, but we crawled away through the treeline. In the end, in a spot still under FPV control, our company commander rushed in and took us away.

Some of his takeaways about using the Abrams in combat:

1. The Abrams is a great tank. Thanks to the fact that the ammo is completely separated from the crew, the crew has a chance to survive (unlike in the T series tanks).

2. Without the additional ERA and 'cope netting' on top of the turret, we would have been smashed and surely dead by now without any chance. The tank's armour is weak, and it is vulnerable (as any other tank) to FPV drones.

3. The crew survived multiple FPV hits inside the tank thanks to the aforementioned ERA and 'cope netting'. We as as crew were allowed to install the protection as we liked, we analysed everything we could, we did a huge job, and this saved our lives in the long run.

4. The most valuable advantage of the Abrams is that, when having MUCH additional armour and a thorough approach, it saves human lives, even in DIRE conditions.

5. We, the crew(s), are in love with this tank and are immensely grateful to the United States.

6. If the US provided the tanks with the original armour and the complete ARAT 1/2 kits, this would make us more protected (although the top would still remain unprotected and we would need Kontakt-1, etc.).

7. The American tankers should act promptly. Their tanks are too thin and vulnerable given the current threats on the battlefield. Protect your tanks urgently to avoid losses in potential near-future conflicts, taking into account our experience."

He also added that the Abram's weight isn't a significant problem even with 2-3 tons of additional weight from ERA.

It is also important to note that Ukraine did not receive the latest version of the Abrams and they were sent the export version without depleted uranium armor.