a shaken Vladimir Putin has responded angrily against the West for deciding to provide Ukraine dozens of advanced tanks by launching a barrage of missiles and drones at Kyiv.
Early this morning, combat broke out in Bakhmut as defense troops fired down a barrage of approaching missiles, prompting the declaration of an air raid warning for the whole of Ukraine.
In spite of citizens seeking refuge in subway stations during the bombardment, defending troops claimed to have shot down all 24 drones fired from Moscow, including 15 that were launched near Kyiv.
After weeks of harsh debate, the US and Germany eventually came to an agreement yesterday to provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks, 14 Leopard 2 tanks, and to allow allies to contribute their own supplies in response to Volodymyr Zelensky’s demands. The agreement has been lauded as having the ability to end the war.
Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, had concerned that the action ran the potential of significantly extending the conflict outside of Ukraine, and the Kremlin has already made threats to that effect.
And after a brief period of relative peace, Putin wasted no time in punishing Ukraine by firing missiles overnight.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of Zelensky’s office, said that “the first Russian missiles had been shot down.”
Since October, Russia has been deploying missile and drone attacks to target essential infrastructure, resulting in widespread blackouts and other disruptions over the harsh winter.
Fears exist that Ukraine won’t be able to employ the tanks on the front line for months, maybe after Russia’s predicted spring onslaught, despite the substantial Western package.
According to top authorities, it will take months for the promised M1 Abrams tanks from the US to arrive before training can even start.
The US will launch a “extensive training program” for Ukrainian troops after acquiring the latest tanks, which will also need replacement parts and need substantial upkeep once deployed.
German and European Leopard 2 tanks are expected to arrive earlier, but training is still necessary since Ukrainian soldiers are used to their Soviet-era tanks from the war’s first several months.
The German tanks should be ready in three to four months, according to Boris Pistorius, the defense minister.
The fact that the Leopard 2, M1 Abrams, and Challenger tanks—each of which requires unique components and training—will all be arriving in the next months will make things more difficult for Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, it does mean that each of these capabilities is going to need their own supply chains because they are different, their parts are different, and the maintenance requirements are different,” said Brad Martin, director of the RAND Institute for Supply Chain Security, on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.
Having said that, it would be preferable to have similar systems, but they are making do with what they have. I don’t know if it is such a significant barrier that it cannot be overcome.
It’s true that there are a lot of Abrams tanks in the United States, but some of them would need to be repaired before they could be exported. Work will need to be done before any of them can be made fit for deployment.
“Training is going to be a very huge problem because a lot of this is quite intricate technical stuff and it takes time to learn how to deal with it.”
Supply networks and the acquisition of replacement parts both need time, therefore combining the two will be difficult.
According to an adviser to the Ukrainian defense minister, Western nations have not offered ‘any clear indication’ of the number of tanks they would provide to the country.
For this to be a game changer, we need 300 to 400 tanks, Yuriy Sak said on the BBC Radio 4 Today program.
We don’t know exactly how many tanks each nation will contribute to this tank alliance made up of several nations. Our partners have been informed that this is the quantity we need.
“You must have the weaponry that will enable us to beat the enemy on the battlefield if you want the missile nightmare to end.
The sooner we use Western weaponry to beat Russia on the battlefield, the sooner we will be able to put an end to this missile horror and restore peace.
Zelensky has commended the US and German pledges to deliver tanks and asked allies to immediately supply many tanks in significant numbers.
The current focus is on volume and speed. Speedy training of our troops and quick delivery of tanks to Ukraine He said in a Wednesday night video address that “the numbers in tank support.” We must create a “tank fist,” or a “fist of liberation.”
In order to provide its soldiers the firepower to breach Russian defensive positions and retake seized territory in the south and east, Ukraine has been searching for hundreds of modern tanks. T-72 tanks from the Soviet period have largely been used by Russia and Ukraine.
As both Ukraine and Russia are anticipated to begin fresh offensives in the conflict, tanks are being promised.
Zelensky said he talked with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and requested long-range missiles and planes, continuing Kyiv’s drumbeat of demands for further assistance.
The friends of Ukraine have already contributed billions in military aid, including advanced American missile systems.
In addition to being required to assist the Ukrainians “better their capacity to traverse in wide terrain,” Biden said that the tanks offer “no offensive danger” to Russia.
Germany will authorize supplies by ally European governments and deploy an initial company of 14 tanks from its stockpiles.
According to Ukrainian military analyst Viktor Kevlyuk, although the Abrams may be challenging to maintain, the Leopard was built so that any NATO member could service it and crews and repair experts could be taught together on a single model.
“If we were given these automobiles in order to be admitted into this club, I would say that our chances seem strong.”
Germany’s decision to authorize the supply of the Leopards was met with rage from Russia.
The situation has reached a new level of hostility as a result of this exceedingly risky choice, according to Sergei Nechayev, the Russian ambassador to Germany.
With declarations from Poland, Finland, and Norway, the number of pledges from other nations that field Leopards to Ukraine has increased. The Netherlands and Spain stated they were thinking about it.
France is contemplating deploying its Leclerc tanks, while Britain has offered 14 of its equivalent Challenger tanks.
The Kyiv administration admitted on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had left Soledar, a tiny salt mining settlement east of Bakhmut that Russia claimed it had taken over more than a week earlier, marking its largest victory in more than six months.
With a pre-war population of 70,000, the region surrounding Bakhmut has seen some of the most savage combat of the conflict.
Russian soldiers were advancing on Bakhmut, according to the Ukrainian military, “with the intention of taking the whole Donetsk area and regardless of its own deaths.”
Units of Russia’s Wagner contract militia were advancing within Bakhmut, according to the Russian-installed governor of Donetsk, who also reported combat in areas that had previously been controlled by Ukraine.
Losing Bakhmut, according to analyst Kevlyuk, would not significantly alter the tactical situation; rather, he was more worried about Russian plans to reorganize and concentrate resources in the Luhansk area.
Donbas is made up of the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk. Nearly all of Luhansk is in the control of Russian troops, and according to Russia and its allies, just around half of Donetsk is in their hands.
Reuters was unable to confirm any combat reports.
Thousands of people have died throughout the 11-month battle, millions have been evicted from their homes, and cities have been left to ruins.
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