After enduring much public criticism for its slow decision-making, Germany is now preparing to send Ukraine some of its advanced Leopard 2 main battle tanks and to approve requests from allied countries to send Ukraine some of the German-made combat vehicles that are armament in their armies, writes DPA, quoted by BTA.
As it seems, suddenly a large stream of powerful Western tanks will march towards Ukraine. The US is reportedly considering supplying its own Abrams tanks, and Britain has pledged 14 Challenger tanks.
Here are five key questions about Leopards:
What tanks does Ukraine already have and why are the “leopards” superior to them?
Ukraine has hundreds of Soviet-era infantry fighting vehicles and battle tanks. The list includes T-72 and T-80 tanks, as well as a small number of the more advanced Russian T-90 tanks captured during the war.
But the West’s main battle tanks, and specifically the Leopard, will dramatically increase Ukraine’s ability to launch an offensive against Russia. Western tanks are generally superior to older Russian-made tanks, and many experts consider the Leopard to be the best battle tank in the world.
U.S. General Ben Hodges, who commanded U.S. forces in Europe, said on National Public Radio that Ukraine could use the Leopards and other advanced tanks to strike Russian-occupied territories from the Donbass to Crimea. or to form a heavily armed formation to break through the Russian positions in the direction of Mariupol.
Can Germany deliver Leopard tanks to Ukraine in time for Russia’s feared spring offensive?
It’s not clear. During the Cold War, West Germany had at one point over 2,100 Leopard 2 tanks in stock, but sold off, donated or destroyed many of these machines after reunification when it downsized its armed forces. According to data from last year, the Bundeswehr still has 312 Leopard 2 tanks, but has delivered all units of the older Leopard 2A4 model to other European countries.
According to a material of “Spiegel” magazine, Germany will first deliver to Ukraine its newest model “Leopard 2 A6s” (Leopard 2 A6s) from the stocks of the Bundeswehr. Other tanks can come from the military industrial complex warehouses, but they will need repairs. And many of these tanks have already been promised to Eastern European allies to replace the Soviet-era tanks they supplied to Ukraine.
Are there other main battle tanks that are relevant to Ukraine?
Britain has already announced plans to send British Challenger 2 tanks to Kyiv and, according to media reports, the US is now considering supplying M1 Abrams tanks.
Managing several different tank systems, each requiring complex maintenance and spare parts, could pose difficulties for Ukraine. If one type of western tanks, for example “Leopard”, is supplied to Ukraine, this will facilitate the maintenance of armored vehicles.
Some Western heavy weapons may even have to be transported outside of Ukraine for repair. Armsmaker Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and the German defense ministry, for example, opened an auto repair shop in Slovakia near the Ukrainian border to repair systems such as the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer and replace worn parts.
How many Leopard tanks are in stock?
More than 3,500 Leopard 2 tanks have been produced so far by the German manufacturer Kraus-Maffei Wegmann, but most of these tanks are actively used by the armed forces of various countries.
Of the 14 European countries that have such tanks, only Finland and Poland have so far publicly expressed a desire to supply Ukraine.
How do German voters view this?
Sociological surveys show that the possible delivery of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is causing controversy among German society. A poll by the public broadcaster AER De shows that 46 percent of respondents support the sending of tanks and 43 percent are against. The opposition is strongest in the former East Germany, where 32 percent of people are “for” and 59 “against”.
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