ukraine military tanks

Ukraine Military Tanks - Western powers are finally starting to use artillery in Ukraine. Some Ukrainians fear it may be too little or too late.

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Ukraine Military Tanks

Ukrainian tanks are preparing for an attack by Russian forces in the Luhansk region of Ukraine on February 26. Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine Forces Advance On Two Fronts, Cross Russian Lines In The South

The United States and its NATO allies are increasing supplies of tanks, helicopters and heavy weapons to Ukraine as they prepare for a major battle with Russian forces in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.

The delivery of new weapons marks a marked departure from Western support for Ukraine early in the war. We weren't sure if we'd last long...fall into Russian hands. The deliveries also reflect a shift from defense systems such as anti-tank missiles to more aggressive weaponry, which Ukraine needs at critical stages of the war.

The Czech Republic opened the floodgates earlier this month by shipping tanks to Ukraine, becoming the first NATO member since Russia began its invasion on February 24. The Czech Republic also sent infantry fighting vehicles and artillery systems to Ukraine.

Other NATO members have followed suit, independently shipping high-end military hardware across NATO borders to Ukraine. Slovakia has sent an advanced S-300 air defense system to Ukraine, and the US announced on Wednesday that it will supply Ukraine with additional military equipment worth US$800 million. The transport included 11 MI-17 helicopters, 200 M113 armored personnel carriers, 100 Humvees, 300 switchblade "kamikaze" drones, heavy howitzers, thousands of artillery shells and other ammunition.

Czech Republic Becomes First Country To Send Tanks To Ukraine

In the early stages of the war, many Western officials believed that Kyiv could fall to Russian forces within days and were reluctant to supply heavy weapons to a government unsure of its survival.

Massive Russian offensive in northern Ukraine thanks to fierce Ukrainian resistance, supported by supplies of anti-tank weapons and other small arms from the West, and clumsy tactical blunders by ill-equipped Russian forces. Everything changed after the grounding.

Transferring heavy weapons to Ukraine is never easy. In addition to the heavy vehicles and weapons themselves, such transfers to Ukraine may involve lengthy support logistics, including training, spare parts, and mechanics to keep the vehicles operational in combat zones. (Russia threatens to attack US and NATO arms shipments to Ukraine.)

"Tanks are more than just rental cars," said Ben Hodges, former commander of the US Army in Europe. "Whenever we talk about transporting mechanized or armored vehicles, we also have to think about spare parts, maintenance packs, training, fuel, ammunition... make sure they can keep things moving. Please."

Live Updates From Russia's Massive Ukraine Invasion

Still, a senior Pentagon official said Monday some allies are still considering handing over tanks to Ukraine. It will take relatively little time," Hodges said.

Logistical complications have prompted some western governments to hold back large shipments of heavy vehicles to Ukraine.

Others, notably some politicians in Germany, fear that adding heavy weapons to Ukraine's military could make the West a target for further Russian aggression. The debate has reportedly created a rift within the German governing coalition.

Germany's largest arms manufacturer Rheinmetall said earlier this week it was ready to supply Ukraine with up to 50 used Leopard 1 tanks, although the German government has yet to give the green light to the arms transfer. Some German officials disapproved of the idea, believing that it would take too long to train Ukrainians familiar with the post-Soviet weapon systems common in Eastern Europe on Western-made tanks. Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger contradicted the argument, saying it could be trained in a matter of days.

The Commander In Chief Of The Armed Forces Of Ukraine Thanked Poland And The Czech Republic For The Tanks

In the eyes of Ukrainians, the new spate of changes in Western arms transfers is a welcome change, but not enough. Current and former Ukrainian officials have said there is still much the West can do to arm the country ahead of what is expected to be a crucial new chapter in the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday listed cities where Russian forces have committed atrocities against civilians during military offensives, saying: "Without additional weapons, this war will become endless carnage and a tragic event that will spread suffering and destruction." he tweeted. "Mariupol, Bucha, Kramatorsk, the list goes on. Except for Ukraine with heavy weapons, no one will be able to stop Russia."

Ukrainian officials and government accounts have started using the hashtag #ArmUkraineNow on social media to call for more shipments of heavy weapons.

Olena Tregub, head of Ukraine's Independent Defense and Anti-Corruption Commission, said new supplies from the West are not enough to give Ukraine an advantage against the numerically superior Russian forces. "Ukraine is on an IV to die slowly," she said.

The Tank Is Not Obsolete, And Other Observations About The Future Of Combat

Still, US and European officials say the new transfer means Washington and other European allies are preparing to not only help Ukraine survive the Russian onslaught, but also launch the offensive. They say the heavy arms transfer could prove critical to Ukraine's military success, even if Ukraine sees the influx as insufficient.

"Western Europe is doing everything in its power to help Ukraine win this war, and that support is growing not only in quality but also in quantity," Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvidas Anusaskas told Foreign Policy.

The growing appetite for Ukrainian tanks, and requests from Western officials to send tanks, is also being facilitated by the flatter battlefields in eastern Ukraine's Donbass region, where tanks are easier to manoeuvre.

Franz Stefan Gady, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies based in London, said: “Large parts of eastern Ukraine are so-called tank nations and are ideally suited for mechanized warfare. It's an open space," he said. "Therefore, Ukraine needs main battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, medium-range air defense systems, munitions loitering, etc., to stay in this battle, fight and stop the Russian army, and ultimately counterattack at every opportunity," he said. "A key challenge for the Ukrainian military is to conduct large-scale combined arms operations in the face of superior Russian firepower."

Poland Has Sent More Than 200 Tanks To Ukraine

The US has begun ticking a few boxes on Ukraine's extensive wish list with its latest arms shipment to Ukraine, said a US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity based on ground rules laid down by the Pentagon to the NATO countries in Eastern Europe to be trained on how to use the new system, the official said. Howitzer and anti-artillery radar.

Washington has also become a key prop for the rearmament of Europe's NATO allies, which are moving supplies to Ukraine. After Slovakia sent its S-300 air defense system to Ukraine, the US deployed one of its Patriot missile defense systems to Slovakia to fill the gap. The US also signed a major arms deal with Poland earlier this month to supply the Polish army with 250 Abrams tanks. This could allow Poland to send some of its tanks to Ukraine at will, but no such decision was announced.

Some experts argue that the United States should go further and offer to replenish its air force with older F-16 fighters to help NATO allies like Poland move MiG fighters to Ukraine. It gets complicated when training and logistics are taken into account.

Hodges said some Western concerns that such military aid could spark a broader NATO conflict with Russia are overdone, and that Washington needs to increase its arms sales to Ukraine.

Why Germans Are Arguing About Sending Tanks To Ukraine

"We exaggerate the risks and the Russians know it," he said. "We have the most powerful alliance in the history of the world and we are afraid to offer a 25-year-old aircraft to a nation fighting for its life."

"If we are the arsenal of democracy, then let's be the arsenal of democracy, open the door and throw out everything [Ukrainians] might need," he added.

The debate reaches a crucial juncture in the war as Russia regroups after withdrawing from the Kyiv suburbs and Ukrainian forces seek to muster as much firepower as possible to face a new battle for control of eastern Ukraine, with artillery units south the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, and a British Defense Intelligence report released earlier this week said the Kremlin had been deployed to Kramatorsk and elsewhere, expects an increase in airstrikes against major population centers in Donbass. important railway junction

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