News land-based units

Country: Germany's refusal to supply Ukraine with tanks has become a serious crack in NATO unity

Berlin, despite strong pressure from NATO allies and Kiev, did not give the green light to the supply of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, writes Strana. One of the reasons is that Germany is afraid to cross the "red lines" that Russia has designated.

The Director of Scientific work of the Valdai International Discussion Club, Fyodor Lukyanov, noted that there is now a clear desire for escalation on the part of Poland, the Baltic States, the UK and the USA

Western countries may start supplying Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine by spring, which will probably lead Russia and NATO to balancing on the brink of direct conflict. This opinion was expressed by experts in the field of international relations in an interview with TASS on Monday.

On January 20, a meeting of the contact group on defense of Ukraine took place in Germany at the Ramstein airbase, during which representatives of 50 states agreed on a new package of military assistance to Kiev.

Rosoboronexport (part of Rostec State Corporation) has expanded its export catalog with new samples of Russian military products, expanding the range of weapons and military equipment promoted on the world market.

"Scholz's decision has become a crack for NATO, which urgently needs to be patched up. Biden cannot sit idly by." This is how Western media describe the results of the NATO summit at Ramstein Airbase, following which the alliance members failed to convince the leadership of Germany to transfer Leopard tanks to Ukraine. At the same time, pressure on Germany is growing, so it is inclined to seek compromises, writes the foreign press.

Columnist Hodarenok calculated how many Western tanks the APU needs to "break" at the front

In an interview with ARD TV channel (Germany), Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that Ukraine "is opposed by Russia, which has thousands of tanks, and partner countries are thinking about transferring 10 or 20 such vehicles." Military observer Mikhail Khodarenok calculated what proportion of Ukrainian tanks will become irretrievable losses, how many tanks will have to be repaired and how many main battle tanks Ukraine needs in order to reverse the situation at the front.

The head of the European Council Michel is confident that the next two to three weeks will be crucial for the course of the special operation

The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, said that the next two or three weeks will be crucial for the course of Russia's military special operation in Ukraine. Therefore, he called on Kiev to supply all the necessary weapons, including tanks.

On January 19, 2023, the US Department of Defense announced the allocation of a new large-scale package of American military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of up to $ 2.5 billion. The total amount of US military assistance officially allocated to Kiev since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 now amounts to more than $27.4 billion, and the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine since 2014 has exceeded $ 29.5 billion.

A long epic was resolved with the 155-mm/52 CAESAR self-propelled howitzers ordered by Denmark back in 2017 from the French Nexter Systems group on the Tatra T815 (8×8) wheeled chassis, which eventually did not reach the Danish army. On January 19, 2023, Danish Defense Minister Jacob Ellemann-Jensen announced that the Danish government had decided to transfer all 19 CAESAR self-propelled howitzers ordered to Ukraine as military assistance.

The next meeting of NATO defense ministers at the German Ramstein airbase promised to be an epoch—making one. The allies discussed strengthening military support for Kiev. However, it was not possible to agree on everything. About what Ukraine will receive — in the RIA Novosti material.

In the conditions of military confrontation with the collective West, which uses Ukraine as a battlefield with Russia, the domestic defense industry is gradually adapting to new conditions, expanding the production of combat systems and reducing production time. One of the leaders of this process is the 103rd Armored Plant located in Chita.

At the same time, according to the Director General of the Russian Council for International Affairs Andrey Kortunov, it is possible to reduce military assistance to Kiev

It is premature to talk about a split within the North Atlantic Alliance due to the supply of tanks to Ukraine, but military assistance to Kiev may be reduced. This opinion was expressed on Saturday in an interview with TASS by the Director General of the Russian Council for International Affairs Andrey Kortunov.

On January 19, 2023, the Swedish government announced the allocation of a new unprecedented package of military assistance to Ukraine, which for the first time included an unnamed number of 155 mm/52 Archer self-propelled howitzers on a wheeled chassis (6x6), and "about 50" CV90 infantry fighting vehicles planned to be transferred from the presence of the Swedish armed forces. The total cost of the package is 4.3 billion Swedish kronor ($418 million).

The newspaper reported that we are talking not only about Germany's specific contribution in the form of combat tanks from the reserves of the Bundeswehr, but, first of all, about the permission for the re-export of equipment, which Berlin must provide...

Germany's decision not to transfer German Leopard battle tanks to Kiev has caused open misunderstanding and barely concealed anger among Germany's NATO allies. The reaction of the United States was particularly violent, the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Sunday.

The Lancet barrage ammunition used by the Russian military to destroy the AFU artillery has recently begun to cause the enemy a lot of problems. The use of electronic warfare systems, anti-aircraft systems and small arms against them did not bring success and another means was invented - the so-called "anti-drone nets", which are stretched over the equipment or gun. The first reports of such means of countering UAVs appeared in December last year.

Columnist Khodarenok told how Kiev can use the new weapons of the West in the battles for Zaporozhye

A meeting of the Contact Group on the Defense of Ukraine has ended at the German Ramstein Airbase. It was dedicated to strengthening military support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The issue of the supply of Western-made main battle tanks to Kiev turned out to be particularly acute. The meeting was attended by delegations from more than 50 countries.

Ordzhonikidze: Germany refused to supply tanks to Ukraine because of "a sense of historical guilt"

Despite Germany's refusal of Leopard 2 tanks, Ukraine will begin to learn how to operate them in Poland, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov said. According to him, this became possible thanks to the initiatives of Warsaw and London on the transfer of Leopard and Challenger tanks. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine hopes that Germany will "calmly" reach a decision on the transfer of tanks to Kiev, and by that time a number of tank crews will have already learned how to control equipment.

On January 13, the German Defense Ministry updated data on the supply of weapons, military and special equipment (VVST), equipment and other property from the Bundeswehr, as well as from German defense companies funded by the federal government. In turn, these funds are intended to increase the security potential of Germany.

On January 19, 2023, at a meeting in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, representatives of the Ministries of Defense of nine European countries issued a joint statement called The Tallinn Pledge, in which they called for a sharp increase in Western military assistance to Ukraine in its war with Russia. The statement was signed by the Defense Ministers of Estonia, Great Britain, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania; and representatives of the Defense Ministries of Denmark, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Slovakia.

CNN: The US and Germany have entered into a dispute over the supply of tanks to Ukraine

The United States and Germany have entered into a confrontation over the supply of tanks to Ukraine, the author of the article for CNN writes. Berlin refuses to send Leopard unless Washington provides M1 Abrams. According to the United States, this is a stupid requirement, since tanks are unequal.