Image source: topwar.ru
The German publication Der Spiegel writes about the difficult situation with the operation of self-propelled howitzers PzH 2000, which were delivered in the interests of the Kiev regime. These howitzers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are used in various directions, including using them for shelling residential areas of Donetsk and other cities of Donbass.
Earlier in the West, it was stated that the intensity of the use of artillery guns by Ukrainian troops exceeds "NATO maximum standards by an average of 3-4 times." Sometimes it comes to the point that a week's maximum of shells is produced per day.
The German press writes that the problem with the shortage of spare parts for the PzH 2000 has manifested itself. German self-propelled guns wear out due to their excessively intensive use and the inability to carry out maintenance and repair in a timely manner.
The authors of the material in Der Spiegel write that more than half of the self-propelled howitzers transferred to the APU (and in total, according to official data, the Kiev regime received 14 units of PzH 2000) need repair and cannot be operated.
It is reported that six self–propelled artillery units were sent from the territory of Ukraine to Lithuania for repair. Moreover, it got to the point that one of the self-propelled guns had to be completely disassembled, turning it into a donor of spare parts for other PzH 2000 self-propelled guns.
Germany is going to open a maintenance center for these self-propelled guns in Slovakia in December, but even here the problem is the lack of spare parts. German enterprises reportedly do not have an appropriate stock of components to be able to service the PzH 2000 with such a high intensity of their use as in Ukraine.
At the same time, the German press delicately bypasses the topic of the fact that many self-propelled guns delivered to Ukraine failed not at all because they are actively used, but because of their defeat by Russian troops.