The soldiers who have to deal with it will be trained next week.
Germany will provide the government of Kiev with seven modern ‘Panzerhaubitzen 2000’ self-propelled heavy howitzers and will begin training the Ukrainian soldiers responsible for their future management in this country next week, Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced Friday. The weapon systems come from a batch that is currently completing its maintenance and renovation phase and can be terminated by the “Bundeswehr”, the Federal Army, without affecting its defense capabilities. Lambrecht stressed that the first 20 Ukrainian soldiers to be trained in its use will arrive in Germany next week and that their accelerated training will take about 40 days, although he pointed out that this period could be shortened significantly.
The federal government’s decision to send such heavy artillery came as early as mid-April, after the Netherlands announced it would supply Ukraine with a total of five German Panzerhaubitzen 2000s. Berlin had already announced at that time that it would take over the instructions of the Ukrainian soldiers for its handling. Thanks to Germany’s contribution, the Ukrainian military can now dispose of a dozen such self-propelled howitzers and form a more effective unit. Although it looks like a main battle tank due to its tracks and cannon, heavy self-propelled howitzers are artillery pieces that in this case accurately hit targets located at distances of up to 40 kilometers.
“The ‘Panzerhaubitze 2000’ is one of the most modern artillery pieces in the world. Its strength lies in its precision and long range in combat,” says a “Bundeswehr” manual, emphasizing that the crew can launch up to six grenades that have the same hit target at the same time. The German howitzers will be equipped with their ammunition, but they can also load shells supplied by the United States. The seven pieces of heavy artillery will be added to the 50 ‘Gepard’ anti-aircraft tanks that their manufacturer, the German company KMW, has in had its warehouses and which Berlin has bought for Kiev Lambrecht’s announcement came in the Slovakian town of Sliac, near Ukraine, where German soldiers have deployed batteries of Patriot missiles to bolster NATO’s eastern flank.
The announcement of the new shipment of heavy weapons from Germany to Ukraine came the day after Berlin and Kiev resolved their diplomatic dispute. Tensions between the two governments arose after Ukrainian authorities withdrew an invitation to visit Germany from German President Frank Walter Steinmeier over his alleged close ties to Russia during his time as German foreign minister. An insult to the German head of state for the government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The crisis was resolved on Thursday after a telephone conversation between Steinmeier and his Ukrainian colleague Volodimir Zelensky. The Ukrainian president later stated that he would like to receive the German president and Scholz in Kiev soon. A visit from the head of Foreign Affairs, Annalena Baerbock, is planned in advance.
Source: La Verdad
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