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☆ Russian forces making no headway in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/6] A damaged building is seen, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Avdiivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, March 28, 2023, in this still image obtained from a social media video. But the military said Ukrainian fighters continued to successfully repel Russian forces and claimed that Russia was suffering high combat deaths in the offensive. Britain's defence ministry said Russian forces had made only "marginal progress" in an attempt to encircle Avdiivka in recent days and had lost many armoured vehicles and tanks. Denis Pushilin, the Russian-installed leader of the part of Donetsk region under Moscow's control, said most Ukrainian forces had pulled back from a metals factory in western Bakhmut. "In principle, we cannot speak of them (Russian forces) having achieved any strategic advances in the last few hours or even days," Ukrainian spokesman Cherevatiy said.

☆ German Leopard 2 tanks have reached Ukraine -security source
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, March 27 (Reuters) - The 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks pledged by Germany to support Ukraine in its war against Russia have arrived in Ukraine, a security source said on Monday, confirming a report by Spiegel news magazine. Besides the 18 main battle tanks, 40 German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and two armoured recovery vehicles had also reached Ukraine, the security source said. The German army trained the Ukrainian tank crews as well as the troops assigned to operate the Marder vehicles for several weeks on training grounds in Muenster and Bergen in northern Germany. Beyond the German vehicles, three Leopard tanks donated by Portugal also reached Ukraine, according to the security source. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine and Tomasz JanowskiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The future of the U.S. military's tank force
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Brad Howard | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"The Russian tanks didn't fare well," said William D. Hartung, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute. "They were taken out pretty quickly by modern anti-tank systems. And I think that would be a problem also for U.S. tanks in a future conflict." "It's pretty obvious from that, that the tank is still an important part of the battlefield." Watch the video above to find out more about tanks and what military experts view as their potential relevance in future battles

☆ A German company is offering Ukraine the benefit — and burden — of being the first military to get its brand-new tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Prominent German defense firm Rheinmetall is offering Ukraine its new Panther Kf51 tank. Rheinmetall DefenceRheinmetall is reportedly negotiating with Ukraine to build a tank factory there, though it's not clear whether it would produce the Panther or the older Leopard 2 tank. The Kf51 Panther is a new tank with some old features. A German Leopard 2 tank in Munster in May 2019. Like the next-generation Abrams tank, the Panther's turret can be unmanned, with its crew operating the vehicle behind the thicker armor of the tank's hull.

Scholz set off on the one-day trip, which unusually will not include a press delegation, late on Thursday. His visit comes days after Biden's security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that Biden only sent Abrams tanks to Ukraine because Scholz made it a pre-condition for sending German Leopards. Berlin has insisted that Biden came to see it was necessary and so the decision was consensual. "The Biden administration will use the Scholz visit to try to shift Germany’s balance in the direction of stronger pushback." Scholz and Biden would discuss ongoing support for Ukraine, the upcoming NATO summit, and cooperation on the challenges posed by China and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, U.S. officials said.

☆ Leopard tanks like a Mercedes, says Ukrainian soldier training in Germany
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Sabine Siebold | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MUNSTER, Germany, Feb 20 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian soldier compared Germany's Leopard 2 tanks to a Mercedes as he underwent training with them ahead of their arrival on the battlefield, saying he hoped they would bring a breakthrough in the war. He is among dozens of Ukrainian troops Germany is training on Leopard 2 simulators and then the tanks themselves at its largest military training ground, in Munster, before sending them to Ukraine. In all, Germany is training several hundred troops on various aspects of warcraft as part of a European effort to instruct some 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he was impressed by the Ukrainian troops. They know that they will be back at the frontline in five weeks' time," said a German lieutenant-colonel who is responsible for the Leopard training and only gave his name as Peter.

☆ Russia's tanks may face 'disadvantageous conditions' in a battle with US-made Abrams tanks, Russian expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Abramses are better than Russian tanks, and Russia isn't making enough anti-tank weapons to beat them, a top Russian defense expert says. "Now Russian tanks use old Soviet shells in their ammunition," Pukhov said, according to a translation of the article. US Abrams tanks and a German Leopard at a training ground in Poland in September 2022. Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesNonetheless, even without Western tanks, Ukraine has managed to shred Russian armor. Perhaps Russia should focus less on the technical characteristics of American tanks and more on how to use Russian tanks better.

☆ Ukraine, U.S. defence heads talk "priorities" for allies' meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov discussed "priorities", including air defence and artillery, for upcoming meetings of Kyiv's allies in Brussels, both sides said late on Saturday. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group will meet on Tuesday at the NATO headquarters, following upon a Jan. 20 conference at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany that was key for the decisions to send tanks. Austin and Reznikov discussed the importance of delivering promised capabilities as quickly as possible, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, said in a statement. After the call, Reznikov tweeted that "the United States is unwavering in its support of Ukraine," adding that the two also discussed the situation on the front line. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by William MallardOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukrainian MP blames looming Russian offensive on Western countries taking months to send tanks: ‘People will die because of this’
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russia's upcoming offensive will take advantage of delays in sending Ukraine tanks, an MP told Insider. Germany and the US hesitated for months in sending tanks to Ukraine, prompting outcry from officials. A German Leopard 2A6 tank during training at the 7th Army Training Command Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, May 2017. Both countries finally agreed to send tanks at the end of January, paving the way for other nations to announce their commitments. Sovsun told Insider that it was hard to watch countries debate sending the needed weaponry, and that she couldn't understand how the decision to send tanks was not made sooner.

☆ Putin says Russia faces German tanks, just like at Stalingrad, but hints that this time Moscow has nukes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Putin made another veiled nuclear threat on Thursday as the Ukraine war rages on. This came as the Russian leader likened the war to the battle of Stalingrad during WWII. But in the case of Stalingrad, Russia (then part of the USSR) was being invaded — not doing the invading. It's incredible but it's a fact: we are again being threatened with German Leopard tanks with crosses on them," Putin added. The Leopard tanks will be operated by Ukrainians, and Germany joined the US and the UK in offering battle tanks to aid Ukraine in regaining territory it has lost since Russia invaded almost a year ago.

☆ The Western-made tanks heading to Ukraine are unique — but that creates unique problems for Ukraine's military
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

While most modern tanks run on diesel, the Abrams uses a Honeywell 1,500-horsepower gas-turbine engine that functions best when burning JP-8 jet fuel. Challenger tanks were credited with destroying 300 Iraqi tanks. When Turkish Leopard 2s battled ISIS fighters in Syria in 2016, the results were less than impressive. Leopard manufacturer Rheinmetall has 22 Leopard 2s and 88 older Leopard 1s in its inventory, but those can't be made battle-ready until at least 2024. What matters is how many Ukraine will receive — 31 Abrams and 14 Challenger 2s are not a lot — and how Ukraine's military uses them.

☆ Putin evokes Stalingrad to predict victory over 'new Nazism' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Tatiana Gomozova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Russian officials have been drawing parallels with the struggle against the Nazis ever since Russian forces entered Ukraine almost a year ago. REUTERS/Kirill Braga 1 2 3 4 5VICTORY PARADEAs Putin finished speaking, the audience gave him a standing ovation. Thousands of people lined Volgograd's streets to watch a victory parade as planes flew overhead and modern and World War Two-era tanks and armoured vehicles rolled past. Some of the modern vehicles had the letter 'V' painted on them, a symbol used by Russia's forces in Ukraine. Irina Zolotoreva, a 61-year-old who said her relatives had fought at Stalingrad, saw a parallel with Ukraine.

☆ The US's powerful Abrams tanks are heading to Ukraine, but generals disagree over how hard it'll be to use them on the battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sebastien Roblin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

The US has pledged to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, joining a bevy of Western-made tanks. Here comes the M1 Abrams for UkraineA M1A2 Abrams tank fires at a target during an exercise. The same day, word spread that US President Joe Biden would announce he was sending 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. But Hertling disagreed that withholding the M1 Abrams was a "political decision" and didn't find the examples of non-US Abrams operators persuasive. M1 Abrams: training and sustainmentAn M1A2 Abrams drives into the woods during an exercise in Hohenfels, Germany.

☆ Kremlin welcomes bounty offer for destroying Western tanks in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Summary This content was produced in Russia, where the law restricts coverage of Russian military operations in Ukraine. MOSCOW, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Wednesday welcomed a Russian company's offer of "bounty payments" for soldiers who destroy Western-made tanks on the battlefield in Ukraine, saying it would spur Russian forces to victory. The Russian company Fores this week offered 5 million roubles ($72,000) in cash to the first soldiers who destroy or capture U.S.-made Abrams or German Leopard 2 tanks in Ukraine. On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops would "burn" any Western tanks that were delivered to Ukraine, adding the bounties were extra encouragement for Russian soldiers. The Western-made tanks - far more advanced than anything used by Ukraine or Russia in the conflict so far - are unlikely to arrive at the frontlines in eastern and southern Ukraine for several months.

☆ Hundreds of armored vehicles are now heading to Ukraine to help fight off a looming Russian 'onslaught,' US officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Christopher Woody | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US, UK, and Germany have agreed to provide their tanks to Ukraine, as have some other countries. Those tanks now join hundreds of other armored vehicles delivered or promised to Kyiv. The 31 Abrams tanks the US will send to Ukraine likely won't arrive for months or longer, but the US and European countries have already committed to sending Ukraine several different types of armored vehicles. (On Wednesday, US officials said M88 recovery vehicles would be delivered with the Abrams tanks.) The US and Germany have agreed to send M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

☆ This is the M1 Abrams, the powerful US battle tank that Kyiv wants but can't have
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But German Leopards and American Abrams tanks are still off the table. "I just don't think we're there yet," Colin Kahl, undersecretary for defense policy, said this week, "The Abrams tank is a very complicated piece of equipment," he argued. Just over 2,000 Abrams tanks were deployed with combat units during the war, and only 23 were damaged or destroyed. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, the US military developed the M1A2 Abrams, which has steadily been upgraded over the past two decades. The Abrams tank also saw extensive combat early in the Iraq War and was used to some extent in Afghanistan.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: NATO allies to make a decision on battle tanks for Kyiv; Wagner Group could have up to 50,000 troops in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda at a press conference after their talks in Kyiv on May 22, 2022. Poland is ready to take "non-standard action" and send Ukraine two of its Leopard tanks if Germany opposes the move, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said. "I do not rule out that we are ready to take such a step," Jablonski was quoted by Reuters as telling a private radio station. "At the moment we are trying to make Germany not only agree these tanks being sent by Poland or other countries, but also to do so themselves." Germany has been slow to approve sending heavy weaponry to Ukraine for fear of provoking Russia.

Western forces on Friday agreed increases to their military support for Ukraine, but Germany wavered on further EU tank deliveries despite mounting calls from Kyiv and fellow allies. He stressed that he intends for Berlin to be prepared if and when a decision is taken on Leopard 2 tanks. Ukraine has repeatedly asked for battle tanks from its Western allies, with Germany's Leopard 2 units being of particular interest. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that receiving supplies of Western tanks must outpace another Russian attack. In the hours before the meeting, the Kremlin said that Western tanks for Ukraine would "change nothing" and would not stop Russia from achieving its goals, Reuters reported.

☆ The Kremlin gave a defiant response to Ukraine getting its first Western tanks, saying they 'will burn like the rest'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Over the weekend, the UK promised to send Ukraine multiple Challenger 2 tanks. In response, the Kremlin said the tanks "will burn like the rest" in Ukraine, Reuters reported. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said the delivery will not change the situation on the ground. But the Kremlin has responded harshly, saying the tanks will "burn" on the battlefield, Reuters reported. Other countries including France and Poland have also pledged to send tanks to Ukraine while Finland has said it is considering following suit.

☆ Repaired German Leopard tanks for Ukraine ready in 2024 at earliest, armsmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Jan 15 (Reuters) - German armsmaker Rheinmetall (RHMG.DE) could only deliver repaired Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine in 2024 at the earliest, its chief executive was quoted as saying by Bild newspaper on Sunday. Germany announced earlier this month that it would provide Ukraine with Marder infantry fighting vehicles to help repel Russian forces. But Kyiv has also requested heavier vehicles such as the Leopards, which would represent a significant step-up in Western support to Ukraine. Still, critics say German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his ruling SPD are too slow, waiting for allies to act first instead of assuming Germany's responsibility as the Western power closest to Ukraine. Economy Minister Robert Habeck said earlier this month delivering the heavier Leopard tanks could not be "ruled out".

☆ The 3 best tanks on earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Brent M. Eastwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The three best tanks on Earth, let the debate begin: Are tanks still useful in the 21st century? I can offer three tanks that deserve clear recognition as the three best tanks on Earth, although I will admit, there is room for debate. Here are all of the reasons why:3 best tanks on earth: Meet the M1 AbramsAn M1A2 Abrams fires a sabot round. 3 best tanks on earth: Meet the K2 Black PantherA South Korean K-2 tank in June 2012. 3 best tanks on earth: the German LeopardGerman army Leopard 2 tanks in Munster in October 2015.

☆ UK to supply tanks as Russian missiles hit across Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Earlier this month, France said it would send AMX-10 RC armored combat vehicles to Ukraine, designated “light tanks” in French. Sunak’s announcement came as Russian forces fired missiles at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine on Saturday in the first major barrage in days. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. On Saturday morning, two Russian missiles hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. But that cuts both ways, as Ukraine says its fierce defense of the eastern strongholds has helped tie up Russian forces.

☆ Explainer: West mulls sending German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BERLIN APPROVALThe re-export of Leopards requires German government approval, so other countries with such tanks could not send them to Ukraine without it. WHY HAS THE WEST NOT SENT BATTLE TANKS TO KYIV SO FAR? The Leopard 2 is one of the most widely used Western tanks. Germany has about 350 Leopard 2 tanks today, compared to some 4,000 battle main tanks at the height of the Cold War, German military expert Carl Schulze says. WHAT OTHER WESTERN BATTLE TANKS ARE THERE?

☆ The US will pay to refurbish Soviet-era T-72 tanks for Ukraine, which will be the 'most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US and the Netherlands are paying for the Czech Republic to refurbish 90 Soviet-era T-72 tanks for Ukraine. The deputy Pentagon press secretary said they will be "the most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield." The Pentagon is paying for refurbishing 45 Soviet-era T-72 tanks, and the Netherlands is matching the commitment for the cost of a further 45. She said the refurbishment would add new optics, communications, and armor, and the tanks will become "the most technically advanced tanks on the battlefield." While other NATO countries have previously sent older T-72s to Ukraine, this is the first time the US is paying for the Czech Republic to upgrade the tanks, Singh said.

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