In Germany it's a debate, in Ukraine it's a question of survival: main battle tanks are urgently needed there.
"The Russians are afraid," they say.
Bachmut - The devastating Russian war of aggression has been raging in Ukraine for almost a year - and there is no end in sight.
Ukraine is fighting back doggedly.
In the fall, they were able to launch successful counter-offensives, at times even seeming superior to the actually overpowering Russian army.
But at the moment things seem to be faltering at the front.
According to a military expert from Switzerland, the Russian troops in the Ukraine war have overcome a phase of weakness.
"Russia has consolidated itself and has a steady hand at command level," said Niklas Masuhr, a researcher at the University of Zurich, the German Press Agency.
That is why Ukraine is dependent on more weapons and heavier weapons.
And from the West - because their own reserves are almost exhausted.
So Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision to release German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine seems overdue.
War in Ukraine: Soldiers at the front hope for western tanks
At the front, Ukrainian soldiers are eagerly awaiting modern tanks from the West, reports
Deutsche Welle
in an on-site report.
Officers from the armored brigade say that in the Bakhmut and Soledar areas there are currently ten Russian soldiers for every Ukrainian soldier.
Many of the Russians belonged to the Russian mercenary group "Wagner", which did not shy away from unscrupulous methods and high losses of their own.
"The Ukrainian military is fighting on the verge of human strength," reports one commander.
More weapons and equipment are urgently needed to be able to continue defending against Russia, the report says.
Currently, the Ukrainian soldiers would make makeshift repairs to the existing Soviet tanks using parts from broken tanks or tanks captured by Russia.
Regular spare parts are made in Russia, Ukraine hasn't bought them for a long time.
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A Ukrainian soldier searches for usable spare parts in destroyed Russian tanks.
Supplies from the West are urgently needed.
© Byron Smith/Imago
Battle tanks for Ukraine: "Russians are afraid of the Leopard tank"
The German Leopard main battle tank is a big topic of conversation within the troops, reports a commander of
Deutsche Welle
, and the discussion in Germany is also being followed.
“The leopard is what we need now.
The high-precision sights and night vision devices work in all weather conditions.
Above all, the Russians are afraid of the Leopard tank,” the officer is quoted as saying.
The US "Institute for the Study on War", which has been closely monitoring military events since the beginning of the war, also comes to the conclusion that western tanks are crucial for Ukraine.
"Provision of main battle tanks by Western states will help Ukraine to defeat the Russian military and liberate Ukrainian territory," the experts concluded after it became known on Tuesday evening (January 24) that Germany and the USA were to use main battle tanks in the Ukraine war will deliver.
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
Pictures of the Ukraine war: great horror and small moments of happiness
There is a lack of modern weapons: Ukraine's stocks are exhausted
According to the ISW, the past few weeks would actually have been favorable for a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Because of the protracted battle for Bakhmut, many Russian troops were tied up there.
However, Ukraine was unable to use this to its advantage.
Because for large-scale counter-offensives, the Ukrainian army would have simply lacked modern weapons from Western supporters.
Retrofitting Ukrainian tanks is made more difficult because Russia has destroyed many factories and production lines for tank ammunition, for example.
And the NATO countries have already made their old reserves available.
In any case, the German government announced that it wanted to make 14 Leopard main battle tanks available to Ukraine “quickly”, and that other countries also want to supply them.
Ukraine is hoping for more: According to military expert Masuhr, a minimum of 100 western tanks are needed for Ukraine to be able to equip a western-style tank brigade.
(smu with material from dpa)
Rubric list image: © Byron Smith/Imago
