The German magazine Spiegel reported that a few months ago The Ministry of Defense of the country has compiled a list of all Leopard tanks of various models at his disposal. The list also includes the tanks that can be provided to Ukraine, writes the Russian edition of the BBC.
Referring to the document obtained by the journalists, the publication states that the Bundeswehr has 212 working Leopards of various models. At the beginning of the summer of 2022, about a hundred more tanks are under repair.
According to Spiegel, citing German Defense Ministry sources, 19 Leopard-2A5 tankswhich are currently used to train soldiers, are best suited to be sent to Ukraine.
However, Spiegel specifies that it is only about the leopards that are found in Germany. Such tanks, which are in service in other countries, for example, Poland, can be sent to Ukraine. With the approval of the delivery of Leopard to Ukraine Berlin would officially give the green light to its European partners who have long stated that they want and are ready to supply Leopard to Kyiv.
The newspaper interprets the existence of the list as a factor of pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz, which, despite growing irritation among its allies, has yet to agree to supply tanks to Ukraine.
This is indirectly confirmed by Business Insider, which reports (also citing anonymous sources) that former Defense Secretary Christine Lambrecht has opposed the Leopard inventory. Sources say Lambrecht, who resigned last Monday amid a series of scandals and sharp criticism over her failure to modernize Germany’s armed forces, gave a direct order not to take an inventory of the tanks precisely because she believed it would prove unnecessary pressure on Scholz.
