Sebastian Schafer, who is a member of the German Green Party, made this claim in a letter to arms companies Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. According to the letter obtained by the DPA press agency, very few of the 18 Leopard 2A6 tanks Germany gave to Ukraine in March remain in service. He added that many of them are battle-damaged, with lack of key parts hindering their repairs.
Schafer also disclosed that the non-operational tanks are currently in a repair shop in Lithuania. "Unfortunately, it has to be noted that only a very small number of the battle tanks delivered can now be used by Ukraine," the lawmaker noted. He also stressed "an urgent need for action" to get spare parts to the Lithuanian repair hub so that the Leopard 2A6 tanks could return to the frontline.
The lawmaker also pointed out that aside from battle damage, many of the tanks are out of service due to wear and tear. Ukrainian mechanics attempting repairs have also caused further damage to some of the tanks, he added.
According to Russia Today (RT), Germany and other operators of the Leopard platform have provided around 90 of the earlier Leopard 2A4 variants – aside from the 18 Leopard 2A6 tanks. Ukraine also received more than 100 outdated Leopard 1A5 tanks.
Unfortunately, Russian forces quickly turned these tanks into scrap metal within weeks of their arrival. Moscow-backed units had destroyed some of the tanks with missiles and kamikaze drones. At least two Leopard 2 tanks had also been captured intact by Russian troops, RT said.
The Russian state-owned outlet recounted that the Leopard tanks "were used extensively during Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive, a failed operation aimed at punching through Russian lines and seizing the city of Melitopol on the Azov Sea, thereby cutting off Crimea from 'mainland' Russia."
Even Baerbock admits German tanks don't work
"As it transpired, Ukrainian forces only managed to seize a handful of villages in the region of Zaporizhzia – losing nearly 160,000 men and 16,000 pieces of heavy equipment in the process, according to the latest figures from the Russian [Ministry of Defense]," continued RT. A November 2023 report by Forbes attested to this, noting that Kyiv had lost "a quarter of its best German-made tanks" – pertaining to its Leopard 2 tanks.
In September 2023, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock admitted that even the country's "advanced" tanks and other weapons systems being sent to Ukraine are outdated and "not really functioning." She disclosed this during an interview with CNN's Christine Amanpour after the journalist pressed the foreign minister as to why Berlin has rejected requests to supply Kyiv with Taurus long-range missiles.
"We have to be clear on every detail – how does it work, who can actually operate them," said Baerbock, also a member of the Green Party (formally Alliance 90/The Greens) in the Bundestag. "Yes, it takes some time. I totally understand there is not enough time in Ukraine – but when we deliver it, it has to work." (Related: Ukraine-bound tanks sent by Germany are OUTDATED and NON-FUNCTIONING, official admits.)
According to the German foreign minister, earlier weapons systems were not effective and even faulty at times. Baerbock said the poor condition of Germany's military equipment is perhaps due to the fact that Europe has not been confronted "with a brutal war lately."
Visit WeaponsTechnology.news for more stories about tanks and other military equipment sent to Ukraine.
Watch this Hindustan Times report about Russian forces taking out a Leopard tank operated by a German crew.
This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.
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