"Just sending out the (AMX-10) vehicles (into combat) so they get destroyed, I consider it is impractical and unnecessary because it's primarily a risk for the crew," Spartanets said.
He did not specify how many AMX-10s the elite combat formation has, and declined to show them to AFP reporters in the field.
Open-source intelligence website Oryx, which tallies equipment losses based on battlefield imagery, has counted three losses in Ukraine of AMX-10 RC light tanks.
Spartanets said his soldiers are gaining experience with the vehicles after undergoing a month's training in France, while adding this was not long enough to fully master its tactical use.
According to the French defence ministry, AMX-10s offer protection against light infantry fire.
Their combat weight is around 20 tonnes and they have wheels instead of tracks.
They were developed in the 1970s, and French armed forces have begun to replace them with more modern vehicles called Jaguar.
"COOL" OSHKOSH
The battalion commander compared the French-built vehicles unfavourably with MRAP-type armoured vehicles such as the American Oshkosh and British Husky, which he said could resist a direct strike by rocket-propelled grenades.
Washington in January also announced assistance to Ukraine including 55 MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) armoured vehicles.
Britain sent Husky support vehicles last year.
Spartanets showed AFP two Oshkosh camouflage-painted vehicles mounted on huge wheels.
One had some minor shrapnel damage to the hood, which he described as a "weak" point.
"Otherwise, in terms of protection, the vehicle is very cool," he said.
If one runs over a landmine, "a wheel flies off" but the vehicle remains intact, he said.
By contrast, when a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle (BMP or BMD) drives over a tank mine, "it is very sad for the crew and the vehicle", he added.
The recently formed 37th brigade has fighters positioned close to the Russian front line in the eastern Donetsk region.
The battalion commander said he took direct part in fighting around Blagodatne, a village recently retaken by Ukrainian forces.
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2023-07-02 11:40:00Z
CBMic2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQvdGhpbi1hcm1vdXJlZC1mcmVuY2gtdGFua3MtaW1wcmFjdGljYWwtYXR0YWNrcy1zYXlzLXVrcmFpbmUtY29tbWFuZGVyLTM2MDEwNzbSAQA
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