MouthBQ98 said:
It is odd that so much Russian equipment is abandoned in useable, intact condition with apparently little effort to destroy it and deny its use to the enemy.
The Russians must be very poorly trained, in an absolute panic, or perhaps they are hoping if the Ukrainians are made stronger, the war will end more quickly. I think it is most likely the first two. With also maybe the idea that if they slip away with the vehicles still apparently intact, it buys them more time to escape while the Ukrainians must approach with caution until they are sure the vehicles are unmanned.
I think it has more to do with their structure and culture. They don't do anything unless told. See an opportunity? **** that. If an officer doesn't say go, you don't go. If you're being overrun or told to leave, self preservation says GTFO, but if the officers don't say, "Blow up all of the equipment," they're not going to do it. Destroying perfectly good vehicles is how you get arrested by the FSB for treason, regardless of the fact the Ukrainians are about to capture it.
Alternatively, and I kind of doubt this, maybe they just don't have the materials to destroy their equipment. They're running low on everything, so explosives and munitions may not be in large enough quantities to knock out or destroy everything they're abandoning.