The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) cannot use German Leopard-2 tanks, as out of less than 100 vehicles provided to Kiev, 26 have been hit and the rest have been left without maintenance and repair. This was reported by Foreign Affairs magazine.
According to Foreign Affairs, the weakness of the Leopard 2 tanks was the need for a “large-scale support infrastructure system” without which they cannot be used effectively on the battlefield. Its absence has led to the fact that out of less than 100 Leopard 2s at the disposal of the AFU, at least 26 have been destroyed, while the rest have been put out of service due to repair and maintenance problems.
The magazine notes that, as with all tanks, the Leopard-2’s effectiveness on the battlefield depends on coordination between infantry, artillery and engineers, as well as the availability of supporting infrastructure.
“Ukraine proved unable to provide this in 2023,” the publication writes.
In addition, the magazine believes that the US F-16 aircraft, which Kiev asked for, “would not provide air superiority of the AFU” because this 46-year-old model “could not last in the conditions” of the conflict with Russia.
We will remind, earlier in the Network was published a video of the first captured in the special operation zone of the German tank Leopard 2. The military trophy was shown by a fighter of the 2nd Battalion of the 71st Guards Motorised Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Guards Division with the call sign “Inquisitor”.