Why all this talk all of a sudden about tanks?
The way the war in Ukraine goes, tanks are likely to become extremely important.
Ukraine says a major Russian offensive is coming in the spring and could throw another half a million Russian troops into battle.
In land wars involving large infantry offensives, the tank can make all the difference.
Didn’t the experts say that this war made the tank obsolete?
They did, but that was pretty much the old type of tanks Ukraine and Russia used.
They had Soviet-made T-tanks, from the T-64 all the way up to the T-90, with the number usually indicating the year the tank first entered service.
Anti-tank weapons supplied by the West combined with Ukrainian observers using drones destroyed more than 1,500 on the Russian side.
Why are the Ukrainians asking the West for more tanks?
The Ukrainians have a lot of tanks, but they are also T tanks, mainly the T-64 and T-72, which are old and vulnerable to Russian attacks.
To repel a spring Russian offensive, they need modern battle tanks that are much better protected, faster and more deadly.
And they also need it if they are to break through the entrenched Russian forces and reclaim the lands taken from the occupiers.
A Leopard 2 tank
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Sending Ukrainian tanks weakens British forces
Berlin has requested permission to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
What are they asking?
The best tank for Ukraine would be the German-made Leopard 2.
Tanks are rated on their ability to hit other targets and their resistance to attacks.
The Leopard 2 moves fast, has advanced targeting, and is well protected with armor.
It is also, crucially, operated by 14 European countries, so spare parts are widely available.
Don’t they want the Challenger tanks that the British are sending?
Yes, the Challenger is a very capable tank, but the UK can only spare a dozen.
Ukraine wants 300 tanks. Experts say if he gets 100, that will be enough to make a difference.
Britain offered them primarily as a catalyst to persuade the Germans and others to send their own battle tanks.
A British Challenger 2 tank. File photo
Does it work ?
Not yet. Germany has been reluctant to send the tanks, but also allowed other countries to send them instead – which they need because Berlin holds the export license.
Germany says that would change if the Americans also sent their Abrams tanks.
Are Abrams tanks better?
It’s like buying a used car. The availability of spare parts and maintenance is important.
The omnipresence of the Leopard in Europe gives it the advantage in both departments.
The Abrams M1 also loses points on fuel consumption to its German rival and with fuel scarcity, an issue that matters.
An M1 Abrams tank. Photo: AP
Will the United States still send some to encourage the Germans to free the Leopards?
As it stands, no.
They seem to want the Europeans to do more to support Ukraine.
They also fear that sending the Abrams will mean that Ukraine’s main offensive capability will be provided by the United States, which would raise the stakes in the war, playing on Russian propaganda that claims this war is about fighting the American aggression.
What if Ukraine doesn’t get the tanks it wants?
Russian warlord Joseph Stalin once said that “quantity has a quality of its own” and that Russia is mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops, perhaps preparing for a major spring offensive.
Ukrainian commanders say Western-supplied tanks will be crucial in repelling this threat, and many military experts agree.
But they need them fast if they are to have enough time to train and use them effectively to fend off the Russian threat.
