Finally, according to the media, the US and Germany have both agreed to supply main battle tanks to Ukraine, but will this infantry fighting vehicle help Ukraine break the deadlock on the battlefield and regain its territory? territory from Russia.
The US CNN channel on January 25 quoted three unnamed sources, familiar with discussions about supplying tanks to Ukraine, as saying that Washington had changed its stance in sending M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine. Ukraine.
While the Pentagon was opposed to the idea of supplying tanks to Ukraine in the past, US officials are now “finalizing” a plan to deliver a significant number of M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine. The relevant report will be published as soon as this week.
The US decision to supply its tanks to Ukraine is seen as paving the way to convince Germany to send its Leopard 2 main battle tank to Ukraine because before, according to government officials, Germany, Berlin will allow the sending of German-made tanks to Ukraine to help the country fend off the conflict if the US agrees to send its own tanks.
In a related development on the same day, according to weekly Der Spiegel (Germany) and Financial Times (UK), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also agreed to provide Leopard 2 main battle tanks to support the forces. volume of Ukraine.
It is expected that Germany will supply Kiev with enough tanks to equip a tank company and that may be one of the latest variants: the Leopard 2A6 tank.
Thus, after many months of calling and waiting, Ukraine is facing a great opportunity to get the main battle tanks that are considered the most modern in the world today.
Tanks are a key element in the so-called “combined mobile warfare” involving infantry and artillery to capture territory.
Moreover, Western tanks will give Ukraine an advantage over Russian tanks because they have more advanced armor, more accurate cannons and better navigation and control systems, especially in campaigns. battle at night.
A Spanish army Leopard 2 tank fires during exercise Silver Arrow 2022 on the Adazi military training range, Latvia. Photo documentary: Archyde.com
According to British Prime Minister’s spokesman Rishi Sunak, tanks could be a “game-changing capability”.
Defense and military affairs analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies Yohann Michel also said that such tanks could allow Ukraine to regain the offensive position in the long-running conflict. 11 months with Russia.
In a statement quoted by the Associated Press, Michel pointed out that “in this type of conflict, it is not possible to carry out large-scale attacks without adequate armored fighting equipment and armored vehicles, and tanks are part of it.”
Explaining why some countries are ready to send modern tanks to Ukraine, the Financial Times believes this is to help Ukraine break the deadlock on the battlefield and regain territory from Russia.
According to the Financial Times, Western tanks such as the American M1 Abrams, the British Challenger 2 or the German-made Leopard 2 – will provide more firepower for the Ukrainian army to penetrate the Russian defenses and gain the upper hand. military initiative before Moscow can do the same. They will also be needed to protect Ukraine’s lines against a possible new Russian attack.
The problem for Ukraine is that it can take months to deploy new modern tanks on the battlefield. Ukrainian soldiers need to be trained to operate and these modern tanks themselves will make it difficult for Ukrainian forces to maintain and refuel. For example, the American M1 Abrams tank is equipped with a jet engine and uses aviation fuel instead of the standard diesel engine. M1 Abrams weighs 63 tons, consumes a large amount of fuel, about 3 miles/gallon.
The question is, until Ukrainian soldiers can use the range of modern tanks provided, how will the situation on the Ukrainian battlefield evolve while a senior Western intelligence official? revealed to The New York Times on January 13 that Moscow is signaling a spring offensive and that hostilities are likely to expand, returning to full scale in February 2022.