The Ukrainian military had previously announced a “major spring offensive” but it will be “months” before we can expect it, according to Clingendael defense specialist Dick Zandee. Ukraine receives a small number of different types of tanks from NATO countries and they have to be “trained first”.
Zandee calls these tanks “critical” to defeating the Russians. But he still doesn’t see the preparation to launch such an important offensive. That is why the defense specialist thinks that a major Ukrainian offensive can only take place in late spring or early summer.
Training completed
Ukrainians in the UK completed their training on British equipment this week. Ukrainians have a patchwork of tank equipment. The Americans gave them Abrams tanks, the British gave Challenger tanks, and Leopard tanks came from Germany. “It’s not very comfortable,” Zandee says. ‘Of course it somewhat reflects the fact that we work with so many different types of equipment in NATO. Which also means that this means that the Ukrainian military has to train on all kinds of different types of tanks.’
“It also means that an entire supply chain is dedicated to that specific piece of equipment,” Zandee says. According to Zandee, this is not efficient and requires far more personnel than if the army had only one type of materiel. But the situation for Ukraine is at once simple ‘take what we can get and they take those relative disadvantages’.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
