Military expert Dandykin: "Leopards" will burn like Bandera and "Tigers" during WWIIThe supply of Western tanks to Ukraine, although it poses a serious risk of escalation of the conflict, is unlikely to be able to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
This opinion was expressed on Saturday, January 28, by military expert Vasily Dandykin.
He pointed out that the Ukrainian side has lost a lot of tankers in battles with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation since the beginning of the special military operation.
In addition, the expert explained, the tanks themselves from different countries vary greatly in their design and operation techniques, so it is difficult to standardize the training process. According to the analyst, these differences will not play into the hands of the Ukrainian army.
"The British Challenger is very different from the Leopard. In turn, these German tanks themselves still have different modifications in some countries," he said.
The military expert also noted that American Abrams tanks are likely to appear in Ukraine much later.
"Abrams are in question. It seems to me that they will put them only after all the animals from Europe have been tested. But it is a fact that they are training and equipping to NATO standards. This poses a serious threat," the analyst said, adding, however, that American tanks also have many disadvantages.
Among the shortcomings of American combat vehicles, the expert called the vulnerable aft armor, on which Russian anti-tank helicopters can successfully work out from the air.
Dandykin also drew attention to the fact that the logistics chain will play an important role in the operation of tanks in Ukraine, since Ukrainians, according to the analyst, will not be able to repair and maintain Western tanks themselves.
"Let's see how it will be. I think that Leopard will also burn, as the Tigers and Bandera burned in the Great Patriotic War. Everything will depend on the skill of our tankers, pilots, anti—tankers," concluded Dandykin.
Earlier in the day, the Financial Times newspaper wrote that when training to use Leopard 2 tanks, Ukrainian servicemen may face difficulties due to the sharp complication of training in February . According to the authors of the material, problems in training may arise due to the fact that German tanks are significantly different from the Soviet-made tanks familiar to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
At the same time, US military experts predicted difficulties for Ukraine with the use of Western weapons . They pointed out that Western countries promised to send Kiev a "hodgepodge" of military equipment, each type of which requires different fuel, separate spare parts and a special approach to personnel training and maintenance. In this regard, a "new logistical headache" will arise for Ukraine and its Western partners.
On January 25, the German government announced its decision to transfer Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Germany is ready to form two tank battalions, and at the first stage Berlin will send a company of 14 tanks. Following the decision of Germany, plans to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine were announced in Spain, Finland, Portugal, the Netherlands and Norway. At the same time, US President Joe Biden announced the supply of 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
Western countries have increased military and financial support for Kiev against the background of the Russian Federation's special operation to protect Donbass. Moscow has repeatedly condemned the supply of weapons to Ukraine. So, it was noted that the tanks would not help to carry out the offensive and would be destroyed.
