There are few Leopard tanks suitable for combat left in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, – Bundestag deputy

The politician called for speeding up aid to Ukraine.

Bundestag deputy from the Green party Sebastian Schäfer said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have only a few Leopard 2A6 tanks suitable for combat , which Ukraine received from Germany.

The politician calls on Berlin to hurry up with steps that will speed up the repair of the fleet of German tanks in the hands of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and restore their combat effectiveness, writes Der Spiegel .

“Unfortunately, Ukraine is still able to use only a very small number of battle tanks that were transferred,” Schaefer, who is an expert on defense budget issues, told Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann.

According to representatives of a repair shop in Lithuania, repairs now take a very long time because they lack the necessary spare parts. Schaefer visited the plant with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius before Christmas. In his letters to defense companies, the MP notes that there is an “urgent need to take action” to quickly improve the situation with spare parts.

He said that the Ukrainian military tried to repair the tanks themselves, but this only led to more damage. Because of this, Schaefer adds, it is necessary to find out whether such situations can be prevented by better training mechanics or providing additional instructions. In addition, it is necessary to establish whether repairs can be carried out directly in Ukraine.

Leopard tanks – latest news

As is known, Ukraine received only 21 German-made Leopard 2A6 tanks: 18 from Germany and three from Portugal. They were put into service in October last year.

The media wrote that the Leopard 2A6 tanks that Ukraine received earlier this year may be the only ones it will ever receive. Forbes suggests that Ukrainian brigades are forced to exchange tanks.

It was also noted that Ukraine is rearming with new brigades and old tanks until 2024 .