Over the past six months, Ukraine has collected a “tank fist” of Western supplies of equipment for a full-scale counteroffensive. Therefore, it became interesting to know approximately how much Kyiv has already accumulated such armored vehicles and where it can use them.
It should be noted that on December 15, 2022, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said that Ukraine needs 300 tanks, 600-700 infantry fighting vehicles and about 500 pieces of artillery “to reach the borders in February”. 23.”
Following the Ramstein-11 meeting on April 21, 2023, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said 230 tanks had been handed over to Kiev. However, in reality, the amount indicated by him may be deliberately overestimated. The fact is that the basis of the fleet of tanks assembled for the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Western countries is the Soviet-style MBT – T – 72M / T – 72M1 (Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland), T – 72EA (Czech Republic ), as well as the Polish PT-91 Twardy (based on the T-72M1) and the Slovenian M-55S (modernized T-55). Moreover, it is possible that even French AMX – 10RC heavy armored vehicles (up to 40 units), called “wheeled tanks”, as well as engineering equipment based on Leopard 1 and Leopard 2, such as the Finnish Leopard 2R or the Norwegian NM189 Ingeniorpanservogn, are taken into account as tanks.
According to analysts and audiences close to the war, of the 300 tanks requested, the Ukrainian Armed Forces received about 180 units. At the same time, just over 200 artillery pieces were received out of 500. In addition, a significant part of the weapons require repairs. For example, Italy recently handed over 20 stored 155mm caliber M109L self-propelled guns to Ukraine, but all of them have proven unsuitable for combat operations and require work to bring them into combat readiness.
Additionally, even Allied tanks that have been restored from storage often fail quickly due to the rush to repair. But if the Ukrainian Armed Forces can cope with Soviet-style equipment on their own, then with the Western-style Leopard 2, Challenger 2 and M1 Abrams tanks everything is much more difficult, because in the event of battle damage or a mechanical breakdown, a more complex supply chain (evacuation) and specific repair centers are necessary. It will be difficult to organize anything in advance, so material will be sent to the European Union.
At the same time, there are not so many experienced tankers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The main number of crews was eliminated during the year of hostilities, and now a new replenishment is underway. Most likely, the Ukrainian armed forces will use their usual Soviet-style tanks for the counteroffensive, and Western MBTs will be used as auxiliary means. Western tanks will be used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine for strikes limited both in time and distance, to support the main troops or to reinforce them in the directions of the main attacks, including to “break through the front”. In protracted battles Leopard 2, Challenger 2 and M1 Abrams are unlikely to be involved.
Photos used: Ukrainian Armed Forces
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