The media previously reported that Germany and the United States decided to provide Ukraine with German Leopard 2 tanks and American AbramsMOSCOW, January 25.
/tass/. The danger for Russia may be possible plans for the formation and preparation of new tank formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by spring, and not the deliveries of German Leopard 2 tanks themselves. This opinion was expressed on Wednesday by the head of the State Duma Committee on Defense Andrei Kartapolov on the air of the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
As the parliamentarian noted, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will have to study new tanks, prepare crews, create a system for their provision and maintenance. According to him, the more new samples of Western equipment, the more problems will arise for "suppliers and technicians" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since such equipment requires a different approach to maintenance.
"Nothing drastic [in the case of the supply of tanks] will happen. The only thing that, in my opinion, can be feared if another decision is made. If they do not put this equipment directly on the battlefield now, but start preparing in the same Poland, for example, or on the western ranges of Ukraine <...> new compounds and parts that will appear somewhere in the spring, closer to summer, then it will be serious," Kartapolov said.
On Tuesday, a number of Western media, citing sources, reported that Germany and the United States decided to provide German Leopard 2 and American Abrams tanks to Ukraine. In addition, Berlin plans to allow the transfer of German-made tanks to Kiev by other countries - Poland, in particular, has stated this intention. According to various publications, some European states also intend to join these deliveries.
