The appearance of German-made Leopard 2 tanks in Ukraine will pose a very serious threat to Russian troops, according to the former head of the Main Department of the Armored Forces of the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, Colonel-General Serhiy Mayev.

Maiev told TASS that the Leopard 2 is the best tank in Europe and that the supply of such battle tanks to Ukrainian forces poses a very serious threat to troops participating in the “special military operation” launched by President Vladimir Putin on February 24. last year.

The Russian general emphasized the need to find ways to combat German-made tanks, saying that they will be used in small groups as the “shock nucleus” of Ukrainian units in the offensive.

Maiev also noted that the Leopard 2 tanks “need to be destroyed as far as possible on the far frontiers, after crossing the border of Ukraine,” in order to prevent them from approaching the “contact line” of the two armies.

He also talked about the German battle tank’s vulnerabilities, saying it was less well-armored on the sides and top, suggesting that Russian forces were trying to hit them from above.

According to the Russian general, another drawback of the Leopard-2 tanks is their weight of more than 60 tons, which can make it difficult to use them in off-road conditions, which, according to him, must be taken into account if they appear near the front. .

Ihor Girkin is also pessimistic about the Leopard tanks promised to Ukraine.

The former commander of the pro-Russian separatists in Donbas, in turn, in a pessimistic note, commented on the new developments regarding the promised arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they would allow Kyiv to form a brigade or even a “tank army” in the coming months.

In an interview with the mail.ru website, Girkin noted that this would create serious problems for the invasion forces, as Russian combat vehicles are inferior to those that Ukrainian troops will receive.

We will remind, on Wednesday, Germany confirmed with the voice of Chancellor Olaf Scholz that it will send 14 Leopard 2 main battle tanks to Kyiv and will give permission for the transfer to allied countries, which, in turn, want to send such tanks to Ukraine.

Norway said it would do so immediately after Scholz’s statement, and Poland expressed its intention to do so as early as January 11.

Later on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden announced that the US, in turn, would hand over 31 American-made Abrams tanks to Ukrainian forces.

“This is just the beginning. (…) Given that the Russian Federation has not been able to give an answer on this matter, I believe that further deliveries will be regular. I believe that 30 Abrams tanks, as well as several dozen Leopard tanks, which will be provided by other NATO countries, will allow to create a fairly powerful tank brigade in Ukraine in two months with modern weapons, spare parts, fuel and crews trained in the West. . And, I think, unfortunately, our troops will not succeed in battles with this brigade,” Igor Girkin commented on this development.

The former FSB officer, however, noted that Ukraine will not be able to defeat Russia “only with the help of these dozens of tanks”, but it is quite possible that Ukrainian forces will cause serious damage and win some battles with their help.

“Unfortunately, the enemy’s armored vehicles, which will most likely be delivered in good condition, are in many respects superior to the equipment that our troops currently have,” he added.

Characteristics of the Leopard 2 tank

• Each tank has a 120 mm gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun;

• It can reach a speed of 70 km per hour or 50 km per hour off-road, making maneuverability one of its key characteristics;

• The Leopard 2PL tank is equipped with a 1,500-horsepower engine, which has a range of 300 kilometers, “on the road” – up to 500 kilometers;

• It has the advantages of an infrared firing system;

• According to German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, it also has full protection against threats including improvised explosive devices, mines or anti-tank fire.

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