18 Leopard 2 tanks promised by Germany were delivered to Ukraine on the 27th.
The German Ministry of Defense announced that 18 Leopard 2 A6 tanks left Germany last week and were delivered to Ukraine on the Ukrainian border on the same day.
Promise – delivered: 18 # leopard 2 A6 #main battle tank together with ammunition packs and spare parts in the present day #Ukraine he arrived. #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/qTufPZHL9T
— Ministry of Defense (@BMVg_Bundeswehr) March 27, 2023
“Our tanks were delivered to our friends in Ukraine as promised and on time,” said German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, adding “I’m confident that (the Leopard 2 tanks) can make a difference on the field. “
In this regard, the German military conducted rapid training on related weapons systems for Ukrainian troops in the last two months.
German military authorities said they completed the general operational capability training course, including precision shooting training in the Leopard 2 tank, at the training ground in Munster, Lower Saxony.
Bjorn Schulz, head of the tank school for the Bundeswehr, told Der Spiegel that “the Ukrainians are extremely enthusiastic and very competent in learning technology and operational principles.”
In this regard, Ukrainian technicians were also trained by German experts.
■ Main models of major European countries
The Leopard 2 is a high performance tank made by Germany which is used as the main model not only in Germany, the country of manufacture, but also in the armies of many countries in Europe, including Poland, Spain, Greece , Denmark, and Finland.
Today, many of the tanks used by Russia and Ukraine on the battlefield in Ukraine are old Soviet T-72 or T-80.
Ukrainian authorities have been asking the West to provide modern tanks that overwhelm these old Soviet tanks in terms of firepower, performance and protection.
In particular, we preferred this type of support because Leopard 2 is widely distributed in Europe and there are extensive parts production facilities and a specialist workforce nearby.
According to a count by the British think tank Institute for Strategic and International Studies (IISS), around 2,000 Leopard 2 units are in use in at least 16 countries in Europe.
■ Performance·Overwhelms the defense of old Soviet tanks
The Leopard 2 has an advanced defense system and a 120mm gun.
The Rheinmetal Cannon has a barrel life of more than 1,000 rounds, and the barrel is chrome plated to overcome the deformation that occurs when large shells are fired at four times the speed of sound. In addition, it has high-tech devices such as laser range finders and thermal imaging equipment.
It can move amphibiously, and can run at 70 km/h on the road and 50 km/h in the field.
It was also continually modernized to withstand a variety of attacks, including mines, anti-tank weapons, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
■ Poland, Germany, etc. are sending Leopard 2 to Ukraine one after the other
As the manufacturing country of the Leopard 2, Germany has the right to decide on imports and exports and support to third countries.
After Poland announced in January that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Germany decided to send 14 to Ukraine.
See also: Support for 10 additional leopard 2 tanks, Ukrainian tank company may be formed…Russian ‘prisoner execution’ video exhumation
Germany has since expanded its own aid scheme to 18 units. This is to bring the number of tanks supplied to Ukraine to 31, including the supply of partners Portugal and Sweden, which form one tank battalion.
2 leopard tanks from Poland have already been delivered to Ukraine.
Germany and Poland plan to work together to operate a hub for the maintenance and repair of Leopard 2 tanks used by the Ukrainian army in Poland.
■ USA Abrams·Courtesy of UK Challenger
In addition, the US is sending Abrams and the UK is sending Challenger tanks to Ukraine.
The United States decided to send the M1A1 ‘SA’ instead of the previously promised M1A2 model of the flagship Abrams tank to speed up the support process, said Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense, on the 21st.
See also: Improved Abrams Tank Rapid aid to Ukraine…US Army 5th Corps Forward Command established in Poland
US officials explained that the M1A1 SA can run on diesel fuel, like tanks used by the Ukrainian army, so there will be no immediate operational problems.
■ Russia uses 80 year old tanks to respond
Meanwhile, Russia is believed to be suffering heavy losses in combat equipment, including tanks.
In a recent report on the situation in Ukraine, IISS said, “Russia’s tank loss rate has reached 50%” and “currently, the size of the Russian armed forces is only about half of what it was at the beginning of the war.”
The Russian army is even using the 60-year-old T-62 as equipment losses mount.
The Defense Intelligence Agency (DI) under the British Ministry of Defense said in an update on the situation in Ukraine on the 6th that the Russian army has remodeled and deployed 800 T-62 tanks from warehouses since last summer.
They also noted the situation where the T-34, which was designed before the Second World War and is over 80 years old, was sent to the battlefield in Ukraine.
■ Belarus: Using nuclear weapons to defend against the West
On the 28th, the Belarusian government argued for the legality of placing Russian nuclear weapons on its territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus said in a statement that day that it had no choice but to accept Russian tactical nuclear weapons on its territory because of the aggressive actions of the United States and NATO that threaten its security.
“Over the past two and a half years, Belarus has been subject to unprecedented political, economic and informational pressure not only from EU member states, but also from its allies in the US, the UK and NATO,” he said Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. to protect themselves,” he added.
See also: President of Belarus “attack on our airport, try to bring war by order of the US”… Ukraine protests ‘fabricated’
“Given this situation and the legitimate concerns and risks it poses to national security, Belarus has no choice but to respond by strengthening its own security and defense capabilities,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus said.
■ “It is not contrary to the non-proliferation promise”
On the same day (27th), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus added that the plan to use Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus does not violate international commitments to prevent nuclear proliferation.
Russia still maintains control of the nuclear weapons.
On the 25th, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he would use tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
See also: Russia uses tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus…Putin “The US is also putting nuclear weapons on allies, doing the same”
Then, the next day (26th), the White House emphasized that it monitors Russia’s nuclear weapons situation every day and warned, “If (Russia) uses nuclear weapons, it will clearly cross a critical line.”
On the same day, NATO criticized the agreement between Russia and Belarus to use tactical nuclear weapons as “dangerous and irresponsible”.
See also: US “No sign of Russian nuclear weapons moving to Belarus yet”…NATO “irresponsible use of tactical nuclear weapons” Ukraine “taking nuclear hostages”
Despite such criticism from the West, the Kremlin said on the 27th that it would go ahead without changing its plan to use tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
See also: Ukraine withdraws from eastern front “Situation like an apocalypse movie”…Russia reaffirms ‘use of nuclear weapons in Belarus’ despite Western warnings
This is VOA News Jongsu Oh.
