Faced with the strengthening of Russian defenses, which make the reconquest more difficult, Ukraine welcomed these promises of delivery of equipment, while urging its supporters to follow the example of the United Kingdom and provide it with heavy tanks of Western construction. . Russian troops “bury themselves, they dig trenches, place ‘dragon’s teeth’ (anti-tank defenses), lay mines. They are really trying to fortify this front line”, explained this week to the press Pentagon number three, Colin Kahl.
Information to remember:
- Washington expects a counter-offensive from Ukraine in the spring.
- The United States, Germany and the United Kingdom will send armored vehicles and heavy tanks to Ukraine.
- 500 Ukrainian soldiers will be trained by the United States per month.
Washington expects a counter-offensive from Ukraine in the spring
Advances on the battlefield are now measured in hundreds of meters, he said, and the goal is to enable Ukraine “to change this dynamic of static defenses by giving it the ability to fire and maneuver with use of more mechanized forces”.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Friday that Washington expects a counter-offensive from Ukraine in the spring. The United States and other countries have recently assured that they will give the country a large number of armored vehicles which could play an important role in possible advances.
The United States and Germany promise to supply new armored vehicles
Washington pledged on Thursday to provide 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers and 59 Bradley light armored vehicles, as part of a new tranche of aid, after already announcing the delivery of another 50 Bradleys a week earlier. Germany has meanwhile promised 40 Marder armored vehicles, France AMX-10 RC light combat tanks. The United Kingdom acceded to kyiv’s requests for heavy tanks by agreeing to send 14 Challenger tanks.
These vehicles could give the Ukrainian army “a significant armored strike force” that could allow kyiv “to try to carry out an offensive (…) similar to the (territorial) gains made in Kharkiv last fall” , estimated Gian Gentile, a former American officer and currently a historian with the RAND Corporation think tank, close to the American Department of Defense.
The role that different armor plays varies on the battlefield: heavy tanks can lead the charge and possibly take fire from other tanks, while armored personnel carriers are better able to drop off infantry to take possession of a city.
If these armored vehicles have defensive value, it is towards the offensive that they will be turned, according to Mark Cancian, a former Marine officer and analyst at the American think tank CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies). “I think (these donations from Western countries) are particularly focused on a Ukrainian offensive that everyone is expecting… later this winter,” he said.
Although promises of deliveries have been piling up, the United States has been reluctant to provide its Abrams heavy tanks, citing maintenance and training difficulties, while Germany has so far not given the green light. for the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed recent donations but warned that there would be “no alternative” to the West providing heavy tanks.
For Mark Cancian, it would take many tanks to make a real difference, but the addition of several deliveries of lesser caliber could still have a significant impact, in addition to a symbolic value for Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian forces will be trained by the United States
Added to the American material aid is a recent training program for Ukrainian forces, which will train 500 soldiers per month. US Chief of Staff General Mark Milley said on Friday that the Ukrainian army would need to be extremely well trained in the handling of equipment for an offensive to be successful. “If we take into account the weather and the terrain, we see that we have a relatively narrow window” to achieve this, he said, noting that it would be a “very, very difficult” task.