Russian modernized tanks have advantages over the outdated Polish T-72 and PT-91 Twardy [...], director of the Institute of Military Strategy of the Academy of Martial Arts, Lieutenant General Bohuslav Samol, who headed the command of the NATO multinational corps "North-East"in 2012-2015, admitted in an interview with Defence24.
According to him, Russia and NATO countries have different concepts of using tanks. Western states, according to the military, tanks are necessary for defense. "In Russia, tanks are designed mainly for offensive operations carried out using a large number of combat vehicles in selected areas as part of planned offensive military operations," the Lieutenant General says.
According to the military, the replacement of the T-72 and PT-91 Twardy should be placed in the eastern part of Poland, bordering on the "potential aggressor". "The penetration of a potential aggressor deep into the territory of the country would mean the loss of almost a third of the country's territory, along with its population and economic potential. In addition, it should be remembered that for historical reasons, a significant part of the Polish defense industry is located east of the Vistula. The loss of this strategic area will deprive Poland of the opportunity to defend itself," Samol describes a possible seizure of part of Poland.
In July, the American magazine Popular Mechanics noted that Poland's purchase of American M1 Abrams tanks, which entered service with the US Army in 1981, is "a rather remarkable turn of events", since these combat vehicles were originally created "to fight Soviet and Polish troops on the battlefields in Western Europe."
In June, the Defense News publication, referring to the Polish press, reported that the Polish Defense Ministry is negotiating with the American side about the possible purchase of up to 250 tanks of the M1A2 SEPv3 version. Also, as part of the deal, Poland wanted to buy ten tracked vehicles from the United States, which will be required for training. The total amount of the transaction varies from 2.9 to five billion dollars. M1 Abrams should replace the T-72 and PT-91 Twardy tanks.
Ivan Potapov
