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Poland wants to deliver Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Chiara SchlenzEditor News
The probability that Ukraine will receive the long-awaited Leopard 2 main battle tank from Germany is increasing every day. Because Poland is putting pressure on – the decision has already been made to deliver such German-made combat vehicles to Ukraine, as President Andrezj Duda (50) said during a visit to Lviv. The delivery should include a total of 14 pieces.
Western-made tanks are “the work of our entire anti-war coalition and a new level of our potential,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) on Twitter. Zelensky thanked his colleagues “for this further manifestation of unwavering and principled support for Ukraine.” But why did Ukraine insist on the delivery of this tank for so long?
The “Leo” is considered one of the most powerful tanks ever. As Alexandre Vautravers, colonel and board member of the Swiss Officers’ Society (SOG), explains to Blick, it was even considered by far the best-armed machine in the world. No wonder: A 120 mm smoothbore cannon acts as the main weapon, there is also a smoke grenade launcher and two machine guns. “Rheinmetall’s L44 gun later became the NATO standard.”
“He can identify targets very quickly”
In its latest version, the tracked vehicle weighs around 60 tons and, thanks to a turret that can be swiveled through 360 degrees, can hit its targets while standing or moving. And that too at high speeds – “Leo” can drive at speeds of up to 63 kilometers per hour. «Who shoots, hits. And whoever hits, kills,” said Ralf Raths, director of the German Tank Museum, to the “Morgenpost” – and thus sums up the mission of the tank.
The Leopard 2 is also the first tank to feature a panoramic periscope, giving it a “hunter-killer” capability. “That means he can identify targets very quickly and fight accordingly,” says Vautravers to Blick. In an emergency, the tank can even be operated without electronics, electricity and with water damage.
The Leopard 2, like many western tanks, is said by critics to be too heavy. The Swiss expert disagrees: “Even if the Leopard 2 is heavier than a T-72 or T-90 at 56.5 tons, its ground pressure is lower.” In the end, the weight hardly makes a difference.
The agile tank is a real export hit by the German armaments company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. 19 nations rely on the Leopard 2 – the Swiss army also owns 134 of the tanks modernized in 2006.
Big lead on the battlefield
“Leo” was specifically designed to fight enemy tanks – specifically the Russian T-72, T-80 and T-98 used by Russian troops in Ukraine. This is probably one of the reasons why the Ukrainian government is insisting on the delivery of these vehicles.
“Western tanks can observe and fight while moving, while eastern tanks prefer to stop to observe and fire – making them an easy target,” says Vautravers. “The manual reloading of western tanks is also faster than the automatic systems of Russian design. So limited, extremely fast attacks that overwhelm the opponent are conceivable. » The “Leo” would give Ukraine a great advantage on the battlefield.
First say no, but in the end yes
In order for the tank delivery announced by Poland to actually take place, however, Germany’s permission is required. Finland has also signaled its willingness to deliver “Leos” to Ukraine.
In Berlin, people react cautiously to Poland’s announcement. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit (50) said on Wednesday when asked whether the federal government would give up its position on the Leopard 2 issue: “I don’t think that’s very likely at the moment.”
So bricking will continue. However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (41) has not given up and tweeted: “It’s always a similar pattern: first they say no, then they vehemently defend their decision, only to end up saying yes. We’re still trying to understand why the German government is doing this.” However, it must be emphasized that a Leopard delivery alone will probably not decide the war.