PHOTOS: Step inside one of the US-made Bradley fighting vehicles keeping Ukrainian troops alive through mines and enemy fire

• US-provided Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have proven to be valuable assets for the Ukrainians.
• Kyiv's troops have praised the heavy armor for keeping them alive in combat missions.

Facing incoming Russian fire, minefields, and other hazards, US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have helped keep Ukrainian forces alive as they continue to battle Moscow's troops amid their grinding counteroffensive.

Washington first announced its intent to supply Ukraine with these vehicles earlier this year as part of a massive effort by the West to arm Kyiv with advanced heavy armor. M2A2 Bradleys eventually reached the battlefield in April, just weeks ahead of the much-anticipated offensive, and they have proven to be a valuable asset in the months since.

Ukrainian soldiers have credited the Bradleys with saving their lives in combat, arguing that they would likely be dead had they been riding in a less-advanced Soviet-era vehicle. Bradleys have even been used to help rescue endangered civilians under heavy fire. That said, these vehicles are not indestructible, and they have still fallen victim to Russia's defenses and artillery.

The US has provided a total of 186 Bradleys to Ukraine, according to the latest Pentagon data. But 53 of these have been destroyed, damaged, or abandoned, according to open-source intelligence collected by Oryx. Though it's a possibility, none appear to have been captured by the Russians yet.

Recent photos offer a look inside a Bradley operated by Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Brigade in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

The Bradley is a highly maneuverable and quick-moving armored vehicle capable of transporting troops to and from the battlefield, providing them with fire support, and carrying out reconnaissance missions.

Designed and manufactured by BAE Systems as a response to Soviet infantry fighting vehicles, the Bradley entered service in the 1980s. It was deployed to the Gulf War in the 1990s and then again sent to Iraq the following decade.

The Bradly is a tracked vehicle, so it is sometimes misidentified as a tank. In early January, when it was announced that the US would send Bradleys to Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder was asked by reporters at a briefing to describe how the vehicle is different from a tank.

"It's not a tank, but it's a tank killer. A Bradley is an armored vehicle that has a firepower capability that can deliver troops into combat," he explained. "It will provide a significant boost to Ukraine's already impressive armor capabilities. And we're confident that it will aid them on the battlefield."

Bradleys are operated by a three-person crew that includes a commander, a driver, a gunner and can carry up to six fully equipped soldiers. The vehicle can travel at speeds of just over 40 mph and has an operational range of around 300 miles.

They are armed with a 25 mm M242 Bushmaster chain gun, a 7.62 mm M240C machine gun, and Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles, which can hit armor in the distance. A 1992 Government Accountability Office report on the Bradley's Gulf War performance praised the vehicle, noting that it "proved to be lethal" and its weapons were "effective against a variety of targets."

According to the Pentagon's inventory of security assistance to Ukraine, which was updated this week, the US has sent over 7,000 TOW missiles and more than 1.8 million rounds of 25 mm ammunition.

This weaponry is just a small component of the nearly $44 billion in military aid Washington has provided since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Biden administration has also sent nearly 500 Stryker and M113 armored personnel carriers, as well as drones, artillery, air-defense capabilities, and advanced rocket systems.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, where these photos were taken, Ukrainian forces have started gaining momentum against Russia's formidable defensive lines and fortifications. There, Kyiv's troops have managed to carve out a small pocket of liberated territory south of Orikhiv, battling through minefields, anti-tank ditches, and dragon's teeth obstacles.

Though Ukraine launched offensives in multiple directions along the sprawling front line, Kyiv's goal for this particular axis of attack seems to be to fight its way down to the Sea of Azov, where it ultimately hopes to divide Russian-held land and sever the link between occupied regions in the east and south.