News land-based units

The Times: Ukrainians called the weapons they use against Russia "garbage"

Ukrainian tankers are tired of fighting with Russia on "garbage", and it seems they cannot wait for modern equipment from the West, writes The Times. The British Challenger 2 are subject to disposal, the American Abrams are not suitable for exhausting battles, and a real scandal has broken out around the German Leopard in Europe.

It will include "main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defense systems, ammunition and infantry fighting vehicles"

The Defense Ministers of Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, as well as representatives of Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Slovakia have agreed on a new "unprecedented package of gratuitous assistance" with weapons to Ukraine. According to a statement issued on Thursday by the British government following a meeting in Estonia, it will include "main battle tanks, heavy artillery, air defense systems, ammunition and infantry fighting vehicles."

Military observer Hodarenok named the features of the Leclerc tank, which can receive the APU

France is discussing the transfer of its Leclerc main battle tanks to the APU. A decision has not yet been made, Politico reports, but Paris does not intend to consult either the United States or Germany. "Newspaper.Ru" figured out what are the advantages of French tanks and what are the differences from domestic T-90.

NYT: The US is considering helping Ukraine with strikes on Crimea

The US authorities are leaning towards the decision that Ukraine needs to provide weapons to strike Crimea, even if such a step increases the risk of escalation, The New York Times writes, citing sources. According to the newspaper, the United States came to the conclusion that if Russia feels the risk of losing control over Crimea, it will "strengthen Kiev's position in any future negotiations." The Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov promised that Russia will destroy all weapons that the West sends to Kiev.

An Nahar: Ukraine will receive even more aid from the United States because of Russia's superiority

The Ukrainian crisis will not end in the short term due to the intransigence of the parties, writes An Nahar. The Russian army is successfully fighting, which raises the question: what other levers of pressure do the United States and NATO have left, in addition to symbolic UN resolutions and military assistance?

Praga PLDvK vz self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. 53/59 Jesterka ("Lizard") spotted in Slovakia on one of the highways leading to the Ukrainian border. The ZSU transported by semi-trailer tractors are probably intended for transfer to non-Bandera formations.

On January 14, 2023, the State Defense Investment Center of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia (Riigi Kaitseinvesteeringute Keskus - RKIK) signed an additional contract with the South Korean company Hanwha Techwin (as part of the Hanwha Group) worth about 36 million euros for the purchase of 12 more self-propelled howitzers K9 Thunder 155-mm/52 caliber, in addition to the previously ordered 24.

On January 16, 2023, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, in a speech in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, officially announced that Great Britain would provide a new large package of military assistance to Ukraine, including the transfer of Challenger 2 tanks and 155 mm/39 AS90 self-propelled howitzers to the Ukrainian side from the presence of the British army. Earlier on January 14, the transfer of these weapons systems to Ukraine was announced by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Ben Wallace said in his speech that "we will be the first country to provide Western main tanks" to Ukraine.

Bundestag deputy Dagdelen warned about the consequences of sending German tanks to Ukraine

Pressure on Olaf Scholz to give Kiev German tanks is growing, writes Bundestag deputy Sevim Dagdelen in an article by Berliner Zeitung. She calls the Chancellor's concession to such pressure a disaster. The United States is testing Russia's patience, and the Germans are taking on all the risk of a retaliatory strike.

The publication Dziennik Zbrojny published a list of weapons and military equipment delivered to the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland in 2022.

TNI: the Leopards destroyed in Syria were not suitable for the war with the rebels

The Leopards of the old 2A4 model turned out to be ineffective in Syria, writes TNI. This model was created to fight Soviet tanks. Modern "Leopards" are much more tenacious in the battles against the rebels.

Expert Leonkov told how the Kurds in Syria burned Leopard tanks with the help of Soviet ATGM "Malyutka"

Poland will supply Ukraine with 14 German Leopard 2A4 tanks. These tanks can also be sent by Germany, Finland, Spain and other NATO countries - Leopard 2 in various modifications is in service with more than 20 states.

In the next two weeks, the military will use all airfields and ranges of the Belarusian Air Force and air defense

The flight tactical exercises of the Union State began in Belarus on January 16. They will work out conducting aerial reconnaissance, air support of ground forces, landing tactical troops and a number of other tasks, the press service of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus reported.

DR: Denmark may be next in line to supply Leopard II tanks to Ukraine

Denmark may become the next country to transfer German-made Leopard II tanks to Ukraine, the website of Dr. However, according to the war correspondent, the delivery of Danish vehicles involves a number of nuances.

Figaro: the creators of the self-propelled gun "Cesar" in France do not defend their homeland, but "bring peace" to Mali and Ukraine

Factories producing self-propelled artillery units (self-propelled guns) "Cesar" in France received a task from President Macron: to halve the production time of one self-propelled gun, writes Figaro. A lot of guns are needed, Ukraine is waiting for them, they will kill people there.

As our blog has already reported, at the beginning of 2021, the German Rheinmetall AG group presented a proposal to create a 155-mm long-range highly automated self-propelled howitzer made on the chassis of a heavy military truck RMMV HX3 with a 10x10 wheel formula.

Measures related to the extension of the service life of armored combat vehicles "Wiesel" (Wiesel, aka "Weasel") of the airborne troops of the Bundeswehr, have yielded results. According to recent publications of the German media, the first Wiesel BM converted from platforms for ATGM "TOW" (Tube Launched Optically Tracked Wire Command-link Guided Missile, TOW) to a multi-purpose light guided missile system (Mehrrollenfähiges Leichtes Lenkflugkörper-System, MELLS) joined the troops.

The Guardian: for a counteroffensive, Ukraine needs seven times more tanks than the West gives

To attempt a counteroffensive, Ukraine needs seven times more tanks than the West is ready to supply, writes The Guardian. Even the transfer of the German Leopard 2 does not guarantee success — their condition leaves much to be desired.

The infamous Ukrainian diplomat, now Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Melnyk, offered Berlin to transfer a hundred Tornado fighters to Ukraine. Words are not devoid of rational grain, as Germany is going to change these outdated machines for the new F-35 and Eurofighter. What is the meaning of Melnik's statement and will Ukraine receive the planes written off in Germany?

The slogan "catch up and overtake" was adopted and exceeded in Beijing

The Communists won the civil war in China only thanks to the help of the USSR. The modern PRC owes its very existence to Moscow. And for the first decade and a half of its life, China in all spheres relied only on Soviet aid.