Think of the ammunition in terms of a 12-gauge shotgun firing at a wooden storage shed.
If you're shooting #12 birdshot, you can shoot multiple times, and you're only taking paint off of the building.
If you're shooting #4 birdshot, each round will leave dents in the building and some pellets may even penetrate the plywood, but it won't do much damage.
If you're shooting #2 shot, each pellet in a round will penetrate the plywood and will blow small holes in the plywood building, but won't totally destroy it.
If you're shooting 00 buckshot, you will be blowing large holes through the plywood siding and likely through the back wall as well. A few rounds of that, and the shed would be falling apart.
Same weapon, same basic shell size... very different results.
Are the Ukrainians sure they weren't given blank training rounds?
It's all in the ammunition, not the tank itself.
Think of the ammunition in terms of a 12-gauge shotgun firing at a wooden storage shed.
If you're shooting #12 birdshot, you can shoot multiple times, and you're only taking paint off of the building.
If you're shooting #4 birdshot, each round will leave dents in the building and some pellets may even penetrate the plywood, but it won't do much damage.
If you're shooting #2 shot, each pellet in a round will penetrate the plywood and will blow small holes in the plywood building, but won't totally destroy it.
If you're shooting 00 buckshot, you will be blowing large holes through the plywood siding and likely through the back wall as well. A few rounds of that, and the shed would be falling apart.
Same weapon, same basic shell size... very different results.
Are the Ukrainians sure they weren't given blank training rounds?