Ukraine has been receiving Soviet-era tanks from the Czech Republic, marking an escalation in NATO military aid for the Ukrainians, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Czech Deputy Defense Minister Tomáš Kopečný said that so far, the Czech Republic has sent more than a dozen modernized, Soviet-designed T-72M tanks. The Czechs have also given Ukraine howitzer artillery pieces and BMP-1 amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicles.
The revelation came after a US official told The New York Times on Friday that Washington plans to work with its NATO allies to send Soviet-made tanks into Ukraine. The US has said it will replenish the arms its NATO allies are sending into Ukraine, which will be a boon for US weapons makers.
The Journal also reported that the Czech Republic and Slovakia are considering opening their military-industrial facilities to repair Ukrainian military equipment. “If the war is going to get longer and longer, the war equipment that is being damaged needs to get serviced,” a Czech Defense Ministry official said. “Ukrainian repair houses are 100% busy, and they are asking other nearby allies to help them with repairs.”
Repairing military equipment for the Ukrainians could risk provoking Russia. Moscow has warned it considers weapons deliveries that are entering Ukraine a “legitimate” target. Since Russia invaded on February 24, the US and its NATO allies have been pouring weapons into Ukraine, mainly through Poland.
The Biden administration has pledged over $1 billion in new military aid for Ukraine since the invasion started. The latest $300 million package includes 10 switchblade drones armed with tank-busting warheads. A previous $800 million weapons package included a smaller version of the switchblade drone that is designed to target infantry and light vehicles.
Are you trying to tell us that Ukraine is driving or trucking or by rail sending their busted gear to Slovakia to be repaired and then sent back? Seriously?
10 switchblade drones for use against tanks? Any idea how many tanks Russia has? Hint: thousands.
The same answer for a dozen old T-72’s.
More PR bovine evacuation for the plebes in the cheap seats.
See this as a trial run when it comes to the switchblade drone.
Hint: the US has many, many thousands of them.
And they’ll never get into action in time. Russia just yesterday blew up a cache of Western supplies. They’re also targeting fuel depots so those tanks won’t have any fuel even if they do avoid getting blown up. Anyone who thinks this sort of weapon can change the outcome of this conflict knows zip about combined arms operations.
Oh, I hear we have a real strategist here, great! Also, I do feel desperation and fear in your comment. The Ukrainians have resisted the Russians extremely well and even forced them to retreat from Kyiv. If I were you I wouldn’t underestimate what they will be able to do with some more advanced weapons. So far they have brought a knife to a gunfight, let’s see what the Ukrainians can do when they are allowed to fight on more equal terms!
Comrade, don’t give up:
“With Russia’s war in Ukraine about to enter its eighth week, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill to establish a new military assistance mechanism for Ukraine similar to the World War II Lend-Lease program. If this becomes law, it could lead to a dramatic increase in what has already been a steady flow of weapons, ammunition, and other materiel from the U.S. government to its Ukrainian counterparts.“
“The US has committed more than 12,000 anti-armor systems, 1,400 anti-aircraft systems and “hundreds” of suicide drones to Ukraine, the Biden administration announced in a statement Thursday evening.“
And this only the shipments from the US, then we have Germany, the UK, France, Poland, Sweden etc.
Hint: Russia will run out of tanks long before Ukraine runs out of anti-tank missiles, haha.
Clearly a step in the right direction!
As for the Switchblade drones I would expect the next shipment to be in the high hundreds.
Except they havn’t recieved them yet. Wait for the lucky bstards who’s job it is to drive them over the border. What are the odds of survival for them?
At least it is a way for the poor Eastern Europeans to maybe, just maybe, get some new shiny NATO stuff in exchange for obsolete Soviet surplus.
“Earlier today, U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had received 25,000 anti-aircraft weapon systems and 60,000 anti-tank weapon systems.”
Who do you think will run out of weapons first, Ukraine or Russia?
“With Russia’s war in Ukraine about to enter its eighth week, the U.S. Senate has passed a bill to establish a new military assistance mechanism for Ukraine similar to the World War II Lend-Lease program. If this becomes law, it could lead to a dramatic increase in what has already been a steady flow of weapons, ammunition, and other materiel from the U.S. government to its Ukrainian counterparts.“
Hang in there Olga, there will soon be peace in Ukraine ☮️ , just need to clear out the nazi outfit that calls themselves the Wagner Group.
The T-72 is 50-year old technology. It has been updated and modernized constantly for half a century. The new ones are entirely unlike the old ones.
The same is true of the US M-1 tank.
An original M-1 would be helpless on today’s battlefield. One with all the latest stuff is quite a useful beast, even if not the invulnerable thing imagined by some. The same is true of the “T-72.”
In Ukraine, they have put in a new main gun, two new machineguns models, all new armor, all new fire controls, a new engine, a new transmission, new driving systems, new radios, new everything but the general shape of the thing. They have even given it new names, more than one for much the same changes.
So what was given them by Czechs? Those came from storage, from delivery by the old Soviets 40 years ago.