‘Military art’: Ukraine receives Leopard, Challenger battle tanks
New additions to the Ukrainian army include the tanks, as well as Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Cougar armored cars, and Stryker armored cars.
Germany and Britain have delivered the first shipment of main battle tanks to Ukraine, providing much-needed ground support as Russian forces intensify attacks in the east of the country.
The Leopard and Challenger tanks were promised to Kiev earlier this year and arrived on Monday in time for an expected spring offensive by Ukrainian forces.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told journalists on Monday that Berlin delivered “very modern” Leopard main battle tanks to Kiev, of which the Defense Ministry later said 18 had been delivered.
“Our tanks came into the hands of our Ukrainian friends as promised and on time,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said he has inspected a “new addition” to the country’s armed forces: Challenger tanks and German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, plus Cougar armored cars and Stryker armored cars from the United States.
“A year ago, no one would have imagined that the support from our partners would be so strong,” Reznikov said.
Reznikov praised the British Challengers calling the tanks “military art”.
While Ukraine is getting conventional firepower, Russia vowed to implement a plan announced by President Vladimir Putin to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus, an initiative that has drawn widespread criticism.
Training completed
In London, the British government said Ukrainian crews – who have trained to use the Challenger 2 – are now ready to go to the front lines.
“Ukrainian tank crews have completed training on Challenger 2 tanks in the UK and have returned home to continue their fight against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
Training began shortly after London announced in January that it would send 14 of the tanks to Ukraine. The crews learned to command, control and “effectively identify and attack targets,” the ministry said.
“It is truly inspiring to witness the determination of Ukrainian soldiers who have completed their training on British Challenger 2 tanks on British soil,” Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said.
“They return better rested but no less dangerous to their homeland. We will continue to support them and do everything we can to support Ukraine for as long as possible.”
Putin said last week Moscow would be “forced to respond” if Britain honors its promise to supply Ukraine with armor-piercing munitions fired from its tanks containing depleted uranium.
Evacuations
In Adviika, a battered front-line town in the eastern Donetsk region, a Ukrainian official said on Monday municipal workers were being withdrawn as Russian troops nearby claimed mounting gains.
“It’s a pity to admit, but Avdiivka looks more and more like a scene from post-apocalyptic movies,” city administration head Vitalii Barabash said on social media.
“That’s why a difficult decision was made to … evacuate municipal workers who were somehow trying to maintain the cleanliness and vitality of the city.”
Russian forces have been fighting for months to capture the entire eastern Donetsk region, with the focus of the fighting centered on Bakhmut, north of Avdiivka.
Russian forces were still trying to storm Bakhmut and had shelled the city and surrounding towns, the Ukrainian army said.
Despite a Russian winter offensive, the front lines in Ukraine have barely budged for more than four months. The Ukrainian army is trying to exhaust Russian troops before mounting a counter-offensive.
Ukrainian ground forces commander Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who last week said the counterattack could come “very soon”, visited troops in the east and said his troops were still fighting off Russian attacks on Bakhmut.
Defending the small town in the industrialized Donbas region was a military necessity, Syrskyi said, praising Ukraine’s resilience in “extremely difficult circumstances”.