officials have said they want Ukraine to be in the strongest possible position if it eventually enters into negotiations with the Kremlin. The outcome of the counteroffensive may shape the endgame for the war. Ukraine hopes the heavy tanks will allow it to punch through fortified Russian lines in the East and South. The first Leopard tanks reached Ukraine in February and were supplied by Poland, which has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest military supporters over the course of the war.Īhead of the counteroffensive, Western nations have focused on training Ukrainian troops in “combined arms” - the use of tanks, artillery and infantry in concert on the battlefield. has also sent Ukraine Bradley armored fighting vehicles. Washington, in return, promised to give Ukraine American-made M1 Abrams tanks in the future. Berlin gave its blessing for NATO partners to begin supplying Leopard tanks to Ukraine, as well as giving tanks of its own. and other NATO countries, who cited concerns about provoking Russia as well as fears of Western technology falling into Russian hands should the tanks be captured.īut in January, the U.S. Ukraine pleaded for Western tanks for months but was initially met with resistance from the U.S. Ukraine Sends Western Tanks Into Battle (Iryna Rybakova / AP) Later President Vladimir Putin was quoted by the state-owned news agency RIA Novosti as saying that Ukrainian troops did not achieve their goals "thanks to the courage of Russian soldiers, the correct organization of the troops. That claim could not be verified by NBC News. Russia’s military claimed it destroyed three of the Ukrainian Leopards during the fighting, as well as 27 other tanks, using artillery and airstrikes. “This would be the first time Ukraine deploys Western battle tanks, which is a sure sign that this is serious,” Horowitz told NBC News. Michael Horowitz, head of intelligence at Le Beck International, a risk management consultancy, reviewed the footage and said he was confident that it showed Leopard tanks in action. Russia’s military released drone footage of what it said was an attack by Ukrainian armored units in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region in the early hours of Thursday. Two Western military analysts said that the opening stage of the counteroffensive has seen the combat debut of German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks, which were supplied to Kyiv after months of diplomatic wrangling with its NATO backers.
Image: UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT-WAR (Anatolii Stepanov / AFP - Getty Images)
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