On Tuesday, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said Berlin will send anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine in Germany’s first shipment of heavy equipment into the conflict zone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been coming under heavy criticism for hesitating to send heavy weapons into Ukraine. In an interview published Friday, Scholz said he was doing everything he can to prevent a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia due to the risk of World War III and nuclear war.
But Scholz’s policy was reversed as Lambrecht told a US-led conference in Germany that Berlin will send about 50 Gepard air-defense tanks to the Ukrainians. The German armed forces no longer use the Gepard, but the manufacturer has a stockpile of the tanks.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin welcomed the German decision to send the Gepards, which are known as Cheetahs in English. “Those systems will provide real capability for Ukraine,” Austin said.
Germany has also announced a plan to help Eastern European countries replenish their stocks of tanks if they send Soviet-made equipment into Ukraine. Slovenia is reportedly planning to send Soviet-designed T-72 tanks into Ukraine in exchange for German-made Marder tanks and Fox wheeled tanks.
Poland and the UK announced a similar deal on Tuesday that saw Warsaw deliver T-72s to Ukraine. In exchange, the UK will “backfill” Poland’s needs with British-made Challenger 2 tanks.
Any line in Vegas on how long this stuff lasts once it gets across the border?
Those aren’t “tanks”.
What is the definition of tank?
And Russia hasn’t even announced their counter sanctions yet! The ukraine’s railway system is badly damaged anyway so not much of these will get over the border even less or nothing to the frontline in the south.
When Russia do counter sanction, Europe’s US and combined west’s economy will enter a tail spin they won’t be able to recover from…
An ant crawling up the leg of an elephant with rape on its mind. Other than nukes Russia basically has nothing. Sanction away you dummies.
john please go home and play with your toy soldiers. Come back when you grow up a bit and actually learn something.
Ah, yes, nothing … just the cheap gas and oil upon which Western European industry runs … and the products that depend on it, you know, food, manufacturing, pretty much everything.
They actually have roads in Ukraine. Did you know that? Unlike Russia, the West doesn’t rely solely on railways to move equipment. Russian cannot sanction anybody. Sanctioning the West means Putin and his oligarchs will go broke.
You and john can play together in your little sandbox.
Truth and disagreements hurt sometimes. But Go ahead and have your come back. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of fun in your own sandbox full of your Pro Putin Lovers here. Big Party.
Yes, and to move stuff on them you need trucks, big ones. Big trucks that can be easily identified and knocked off if the other side has complete air superiority, like as in this case.
But the other side doesn’t have Air Superiority. And for your education, you either have air superiority or air supremacy … or none of the those.. What the hell is “complete air superiority” In fact, most of the stuff we are talking about, it’s already operational in the frontlines while you are here waiting to hear on the news that a shipment has been destroyed by an airstrike/missile. The other stuff not there yet, will undergo a planned tactical movement.
Russia doesn’t need air superiority in all areas of the Ukraine. Only good recognizance and a shot at the trucks over hundreds of miles to get to the front lines. Russia has that. Driving this equipment is pretty much suicide.
The AFU doesn’t have tactical mobility in the Donbas. The AFU is hunkered down in defense positions. Tactically, the AFU forces in the Donbas should have withdrawn and regrouped early in this conflict. They didn’t. Probably because of political reasons and political generals. Now, it is too late.
Bernhard over at Moon of Alabama, a former German tank gunner, gives a detailed description of this junk in his latest post. They’re completely useless to the Ukrainians because it takes months to a year to be trained on them, as they very complicated.
They are not “tanks” – they are self-propelled antiaircraft guns.
And Switzerland has vetoed sending the ammunition those “tanks” use. What a comedy.
Correct. Basically this is unusable junk that Scholtz sent to shut up German war fanatics led by the Greens. MoA posted an in-depth analysis.
And in any case Russia has severed just about all rail lines to the Donetsk theater… this is all just a bonanza for the US MIC to replenish mothballed junk with super expensive late model weaponry…
German bullets killing Russian soldiers and civilians in the Ukraine for the first time since 1945.
More recycling of ourdated crap to the Ukes to replace with fresh … it’s spring cleaning for NATO, at the cost of billions for us and many extra dead Ukrainians and Russians.
Geeze. It’s a feeding frenzy of slimey MiC salesmen getting rid of obsolete military equipment.. The Ukrainian soldier’s that receive this stuff are going to be untrained in it’s use to boot. That means their life expectancy in battle is going to be nil.
Of course the sock puppet Zelensky doesn’t give a damn about the Ukrainian soldier who he has conned into being a martyr for good ‘ol Ukrainian kleptocracy.