Military experts warn that German tanks supplied to Ukraine are too difficult to use

On April 25, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said that Germany had approved the delivery to Ukraine of 50 Gepard tanks equipped with anti-aircraft guns from the warehouse of the KMW company.

Soon after, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed this decision of Germany.

“These systems will give Ukraine real capabilities,” he said after talks with Lambrecht and dozens of partners at the US Ramstein Air Base in western Germany.

However, military experts warn that these tanks require months of training and risk becoming useless to Ukrainian forces for at least another five months.

Markus Richter, a sergeant in reserve in the German army who was a pilot of a Gepard, told Politico: “I am surprised that the government has chosen to provide such a sophisticated weapon system instead. because of Marder or Leopard tanks, they are easier to operate and maintain”.

He emphasized: “I can judge from my own experience that training to use Gepard takes a very long time. In case the Gepard system is delivered, the full training process takes about 5 months. “.

Mr. Richter pointed out the contradiction in the government’s argument, because Berlin had previously stated: “We cannot deliver the Marder tanks because the training process will take too long.”

The move also sparked the fury of CDU foreign policy MP Roderich Kiesewetter, who said: “If the German government believes that Ukraine’s armed forces can learn from complex Western systems, quickly, why don’t they prepare more Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard tank systems or artillery for Kiev?”

In the European Union (EU), Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausea also urged German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to supply Ukraine with Leopard battle tanks, adding that Germany should speed up arms deliveries to Kiev.

“I’m not in Prime Minister Olaf Scholz’s position, so I can only say what I would do if I were in his position: I will deliver the tanks quickly,” Nauseda was quoted as saying by the Funke media group. words on April 27.

Mr. Nauseda said Germany is moving in the right direction, but if the plan is to succeed, it cannot stop halfway.

He added: “The important thing is that Ukraine gets the military equipment it needs now. Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow may be too late.”

Some critics, including Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany, accuse Berlin of reluctance to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons and take other measures that could help Kiev repel Russian forces, such as embargo on Russian energy imports.

They say Berlin is not showing leadership as expected from a major power and that its delay is costing Ukrainians.

Ukraine’s calls for heavy weapons have grown since Moscow turned its attack on the eastern Donbass region, which is considered more suitable for the use of tanks than around the capital. Kiev.