A Ukrainian military man compared Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks to Mercedes as he trained with them before sending them to the battlefield, saying he hoped they would bring progress in the war.

German tank Leopard 2Photo: Christoph Schmidt / AFP / Profimedia Images

He is among dozens of Ukrainian soldiers being trained by Germany on Leopard 2 simulators and then on real tanks at its largest military training ground in Munster before being sent to Ukraine.

Last month, Germany agreed to supply tanks considered among the best in the West’s arsenal, overcoming reluctance to send heavy weapons that Kiev sees as crucial to stopping the Russian invasion but which Moscow sees as a dangerous challenge.

“It is important that we use these modern weapons wisely, it will bring progress and we will win in the end,” said the 57-year-old soldier.

Asked about the difference between the Western and Soviet systems, he said: “You can imagine it’s like the difference between a Mercedes and a Jiguli,” referring to the Soviet car sold in the West under the Lada brand.

The Krauss-Maffei Wegmann version of the tank to be sent by Germany weighs more than 60 tons, has a 120 mm smoothbore gun and can engage targets up to 4 km away.

Ukraine’s foreign minister said last month it expected to receive 120 to 140 Western tanks in a “first wave” of deliveries from the 12-nation coalition, including Germany’s Leopard 2, with time for training.

In total, Germany is training several hundred soldiers in various aspects of warfare as part of European efforts to train about 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers.

Another military man, who was trained at the Marder BMP, said that the Western systems are not so far from the Soviet vehicles that the Ukrainians used until now.

“We have experience with similar weapon systems… The logic is the same, sometimes we don’t even need translators to understand the instructors,” the 33-year-old said.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that he was impressed by the Ukrainian troops.

“Talking about war is not the same as looking at the faces of people who … came here straight from the front line and who, after training, will return there with tanks,” he told reporters.

Soldiers work 12 hours a day, six days a week.

“They are highly motivated and hungry for knowledge… They know they will be back on the front lines in five weeks,” said a German lieutenant colonel in charge of Leopard 2 training.

Both fighters should return to Ukraine by the end of March.

When asked how he copes with fear, the 57-year-old interlocutor replied that bands have to adapt to him.

“Fear? Yes, everyone is afraid. But what is important is how you manage your fear and how you deal with it,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.

On the same topic:

  • Why are Russians afraid of Leopard-2 tanks? / The T-90 tank or where Russia went wrong
  • Germany is disappointed by the number of countries that promised tanks to Ukraine / Pistorius: I expected more

___

  • Follow the latest events of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HotNews.ro