After the governments of Germany and Poland could not agree on a joint workshop for Leopard battle tanks, a replacement was found in Lithuania. The important military equipment must be made operational again quickly. But replacement parts often take a long time to arrive, and repair attempts by the Ukrainians would have caused further damage to the German tanks.
After much hesitation, the German federal government transferred a total of 18 Leopard 2 tanks from the Bundeswehr’s inventory to Ukraine in March. The delivery is part of the assistance against the Russian attack. There is now battle damage to the vehicles, but also significant technical wear and tear due to driving and shooting.
The hope that modern battle tanks could allow the Ukrainians to form attack centers to penetrate the highly developed Russian lines has not yet been fulfilled. In some cases, the Ukrainians used the tanks differently than Western military planners expected. Repairs after deployment at the front now take more time than necessary.
“Repairing the systems takes a very long time because, according to information in the hub, there is, among other things, a lack of suitable spare parts. From my point of view, there seems to be an urgent need for action to quickly improve the situation of spare parts,” said budget politician Sebastian Schäfer of the Green Party in a letter to the defense companies involved Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. The Green politician finds the following fact particularly alarming: “Unfortunately, it can be said that only a very small number of the battle tanks delivered can now be used by Ukraine.”
Further damage caused by “repair attempts”
There is also a problem “that the Ukrainian army sometimes tries to repair the tanks, which then leads to further damage to the main battle tanks. It must be investigated to what extent this can be prevented by better training of technicians or by providing instructions.”
Schäfer also questions the need to transport the defective tanks through Poland to Lithuania, while there are already workshops for the German Marder infantry fighting vehicle in western Ukraine. The aim of this is to create opportunities for the more complex leopard. Against the backdrop of declining American support, Schäfer is calling for an expansion of military aid from Germany and Europe.
Increased airstrikes by Russia
On Monday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced he would step up attacks on military targets in Ukraine in response to Ukrainian retaliatory attacks on the Russian city of Belgorod. An attack on Belgorod killed 25 people on Saturday, including five children.
Ukraine’s air force reported attacks by a “record number” of Russian combat drones on New Year’s Day. Russia has stepped up its bombing of the neighboring country in recent nights. Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine has been going on for almost two years.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
