Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak confirmed that 10 of the 14 promised Leopard 2 tanks will arrive in Ukraine in the coming days. However, before they go to the front, some time is needed to form the appropriate units.
Alexander Kovalenko, military-political observer of the Information Resistance group, spoke about this on the air of Channel 24 . He suggested that the tanks could be directly in the combat zone.
Kovalenko said that before using these tanks, it is necessary to carry out appropriate approvals and form full-fledged units.
Each of these tanks is not a combat unit in itself, it is a combat unit as part of a subunit, company, battalion, tank regiment, etc. the speaker added.
Requires time to resolve
Kovalenko stressed that in order to increase the effectiveness of Western tanks, a battalion should be formed. And the formation of a full-fledged battalion also means the formation of relevant units, which include other equipment: an infantry fighting vehicle, armored personnel carriers, and artillery. After that, only it will be possible to talk about the appearance of Leopard 2 on the battle line.
Perhaps it will be April as an option. Maybe even the end of March. It depends on how soon the newest crews will be ready and how soon the newest tanks will be handed over to us,” the analyst noted.
He recalled that several Leopard 2 tanks had already arrived in Ukraine, but they were not in the combat zone. They are now in the city of coherence and the formation of units.
When Western tanks appear at the front: watch the video
Military assistance to Ukraine from Poland
- Poland has announced plans to transfer 70 tanks to Ukraine within a few weeks, 10 of which will be Leopard 2s.
- Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has already delivered the first 4 tanks during his visit to Kyiv on February 24, the anniversary of the Russian invasion. This happened even despite the fact that the Polish authorities complain about the lack of spare parts for them.
- The remaining 60 tanks promised to Ukraine in February are T-72 and PT-91 Twardy tanks. They were promised to be transferred along with Leopard or sooner.
