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France supplies light battle tanks to Ukraine.
Chiara SchlenzEditor News
France is sending AMX-10RC light armored vehicles to Ukraine, while the US and Germany are sending armored personnel carriers. It seems the pleas of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) have finally been answered. The first delivery of western mobile tanks is another important milestone in the increasing supply of the Ukrainian armed forces, experts of the Washington Post are sure.
Just a few weeks ago, such deliveries seemed impossible; the West was too afraid of Vladimir Putin’s reactions (70). It seems as if the fear of an escalation in the West has vanished.
“The West increasingly seems to be dropping its concerns about the escalation risk of heavy arms deliveries”Marcel Berni, ETH military strategist
There are first signs of this, according to ETH military strategist Marcel Berni (34) on Blick. “The West increasingly seems to be dropping its concerns about the escalation risk of heavy arms deliveries.” There are two reasons for this: the Ukrainian successes on the battlefield and the increased Russian attacks on the Ukrainian infrastructure.
For the Ukrainian military, the armored vehicles mean one thing above all: greater effectiveness and the ability to withdraw weapon systems from the front and maintain them. However, according to Berni, there is a catch: “Every new weapon system must also be supplied. In addition, there is a need for training and education for the soldiers.”
Ukraine plans «hot» spring offensive
Kyrylo Budanov (37), head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service, announced in an interview with “ABC News” that there will probably be further attacks on Russian territory – by spring at the latest. Then Ukraine will plan a “big push”, in March, according to him, the fighting will be “the hottest”.
It is unclear what role Western arms deliveries will play in this. Niklas Masuhr (29), strategy researcher at ETH Zurich, emphasizes: “To date, the USA has refused to supply ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, which would make such strikes much easier for the Ukrainians – which is why Kyiv has been demanding them for a long time without success. »
The fact is, however, that a Ukrainian offensive – compared to autumn or winter – has tended to become more difficult, because: “Russia has built defensive positions and still has large amounts of artillery.” That’s why armored vehicles from the west are even more important now than they were a few months ago.
Attacks work best in stealth
Attacks on Russian soil are nothing new. Russian targets were repeatedly attacked at the beginning of the war – helicopter attacks on a refinery in Belgorod, the burning Crimea Bridge and the recent attacks on Russian airfields are just a few examples.
However, Ukraine has hardly claimed responsibility for any of these attacks. There is a good reason for this, explains Berni: “Military operations, such as those currently being carried out in Ukraine, are particularly successful when they are carried out covertly. The cryptic messages from Kyiv are intended to confuse the enemy and stir up uncertainty in the Russian ranks.” It remains to be seen whether the Ukrainian side will remain silent in the spring. However, Budanov’s words do not sound like it.