/ world today news/ The Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia Yunus-Bek Evkurov ordered the creation of special strike units in the armed forces of Russia to fight against Western tanks. These tanks of the armed forces of Ukraine will be used for the upcoming “counter-offensive”, which the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken mentioned again the other day.
However, even without Russian anti-tank combat, the group, which was formed by the armed forces of Ukraine, has many problems. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that NATO countries managed to assemble only 160 Leopards, including 60 modern Leopard 2 (although not in the latest modifications) and 100 outdated Leopard 1, which absolutely do not meet the requirements of modern war.
Western supplies will not allow the full equipment of the 4 tank battalions, which the NATO command initially insisted on. Each battalion must have at least 31 tanks. The basis of the battalions should be precisely the Leopard 1 – in each formation there will be 25 of them. At the same time, the Leopard 1 will enter the armed forces of Ukraine only by the end of the year, Pistorius said.
We simply will not wait for new vehicles for the armed forces of Ukraine: Pistorius confirmed that all reserves of NATO countries are completely exhausted. In addition, the armed forces of Ukraine will receive too many Leopard modifications, which differ not only in armament, but even in armor qualities.
Only the so-called “Polish battalion” will have uniform equipment – it will have a Leopard 2A4. However, to complete the formation, the battalion was waiting for supplies from Spain, which were delayed. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that only the first 6 Leopard 2A4 tanks will be handed over to Kiev after Easter, and a total of 10 tanks are expected.
There are also problems with the so-called “German battalion”, which will include Leopard 2A6 and Leopard 2A5. It is they who differ significantly in the degree of armor protection: the older Leopard 2A5s do not provide protection against powerful mines, which the Russian army widely uses in Ukraine.
In addition, in order for the “German battalion” to be finally formed, the tanks from Sweden must be waited for – and this will happen only in May.
The Pentagon deceived Kyiv: Abrams will come earlier, but with fragile armor
The VSU is looking forward to not only the European Leopard, but also the American Abrams. It is true that the Americans are slow with deliveries. The promised tanks were not included in the new $2.6 billion military aid package announced by the Pentagon on April 4. It mainly includes missiles for the Patriot, NASAMS and HIMARS systems, as well as ammunition for artillery, tanks, mortars, grenade launchers, guided bombs.
Earlier, the Americans promised to transfer to the Kiev regime 31 Abrams in M1A2 modification. Moreover, such tanks can arrive in Ukraine no earlier than 2024.
After Vladimir Zelensky raised a terrible scandal, the Americans still decided to come against him. Instead of the Abrams M1A2, the Kiev regime will receive a simplified version of the Abrams M1A1 (it has weakened armor – like the Leopard 2A5 from the Leopard 2A6). But they will come faster.
True, the latest news about the preparation of the “American battalion” came only at the beginning of March, when the US Department of Defense signed an agreement with General Dynamics Land Systems for the preparation of tanks.
Since all the tanks are in reserve (the Americans, of course, did not allow even their beloved armed forces of Ukraine to take them from the active troops), they must be prepared for deliveries. And the work will be finished only at the beginning of October.
The friendship of Kyiv and Warsaw did not bear tank fruits – the plants could not cope
Embarrassed with the supply of tanks, the Kiev and NATO generals are scratching their heads about what to do with the BMP. The Polish Center for East European Studies (OSW) points out that the armed forces of Ukraine have great problems with recruiting not only tank, but also motorized infantry units.
In particular, the British Ministry of Defense promised to provide the armed forces with a total of 14 Challenger 2 armored vehicles. Together with them, 120-mm depleted uranium tank shells will be sent.
The supplies will enable the formation of a company that will be ready for combat operations by the end of May. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace admitted that Ukrainian soldiers still need to be seriously prepared to use the Challenger 2.
The choice of the base BMP for the advertised “counterattack” remains an open question. The Kiev regime is due to receive 50 CV90 armored vehicles from Sweden this year and another 109 American Bradleys in the near future. Although they can hardly be considered modern, write scathingly OSW.
The most generous gifts are expected from Germany, which is preparing to donate its Marder in 40 pieces to the Kiev regime. However, these armored vehicles are now obsolete: the vehicles were developed back in the sixties, and production ceased in 1975.
It is not surprising that a huge amount of such equipment accumulated in German warehouses (for comparison: the American Bradley was produced until 1989).
However, after Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Poland, the American and German suppliers have a competitor – it is the Polish Borsuk BMP, which will be produced by Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa.
The latest armored car is even amphibious. The truth is that this BMP has so far only existed in the form of prototypes and, of course, has never been used on the battlefield.
Even if the armed forces of Ukraine want to get the Polish Borsuk, the capabilities of Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa will have to work only for the Ukrainian order. And the armed forces of Poland are not needed at all.
However, the same problem is with the Swedish CV90: in order to satisfy the demands of Vladimir Zelensky, it is necessary to increase the production capacity of the Swedish defense industry.
At the same time, while Ukraine’s armed forces are collecting crumbs from the NATO table, Russian tank units are only intensifying the offensive.
The OSW confirmed that the use of armored weapons, including advanced T-80 and T-90 Proriv tanks, is increasing in the Svatovo-Kremennaya strategic direction (the 1st Tank Army operates on this direction).
Translation: SM
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