In Ukraine, new military units are being created against the background of the expected supply of Western tanks and other weapons. Since success at the front will depend on the training of the soldiers.
About it in the comments CNN said the commander of the United Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Serhiy Naev.
Sergey Naiev believes that the next phase of this war will involve tanks. And these are not old T-72s, but more modern machines, such as the German Leopard 2 and the British Challenger. The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated that in order to win, they need several hundred main battle tanks - not only to defend their current positions, but also to give battle to the enemy in the coming months.
"Of course, we need a large number of Western tanks. They are much better than Soviet models and can help us advance," said Naev. "We are creating new military units. And our further actions will depend on their combat capability. That is why the help of the West is extremely important."
Chief among Ukraine's requests is the Leopard 2 tank, which is relatively easy to maintain and operate and is in service with many NATO countries.
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, speaking after the meeting in Ramstein, said he and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius "had a frank discussion about the Leopard 2 ... more to come".
Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the Office of the President of Ukraine, told CNN on Friday: “We are disappointed. We understand that there are bans in some countries. But the slower it happens, the more our soldiers and civilians die. "It would be important if Germany took a leading position here. 300 to 400 such tanks would actually outnumber 2000 to 3000 Soviet tanks... This would dramatically accelerate the pace of the war and begin its final stages.”
Experts also believe, that German tanks can be of great importance. "The Leopard 2 is a modern, well-protected main battle tank with good data," Jack Watling, senior research fellow for land warfare at the Royal United Armaments Institute (RUSI), told CNN. "It was originally designed for conscript service and is therefore easier to maintain in combat than some other NATO designs such as the Challenger 2."
But other types of weapons continue to arrive in Ukraine - Stryker armored vehicles and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles from the USA, howitzers from Finland, the improved ARCHER artillery system and anti-tank guns from Sweden.
The Ukrainian military must train units to work on new equipment and integrate it into their existing units.
"The entire unit has to be equipped with the same vehicle, so the entire battalion will be equipped with Bradleys if we get one, or Leopards," said Lt. Gen. Naev.
The list of equipment that Ukraine needs is constantly expanding, but Podolyak adds: "Our guys are not leaving the battlefield, even if they are not provided with new weapons. They will simply die more often and with greater regularity. I understand that some countries may be tired of this war. But we are the ones who pay the real price for freedom. We are the ones whose people are dying because of Russian aggression."
