Anticipated Counteroffensive by Ukraine: Planned Spring Offensive Still Slow

There are still problems with the planned spring offensive

The government in Kiev is waiting for tanks from the West, which it now urgently needs. The heavily decimated troops also lacked ammunition.

Thomas Avenarius

Published today at 06:00

Relying on help from the West: Ukrainian soldiers are on the front lines in the heavily contested city of Bagmut.

Photo: Keystone

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received encouraging messages from his country’s supporters. Washington prefers 31 Abrams-Panzer Deliver in advance. According to the Pentagon, they should be handed over in the fall. The US weapons were originally expected to arrive in Ukraine within a year.

However, with the M1A1 Abrams model, it will now only be an older version of the more modern US M1A2 main battle tank. Instead of building new vehicles or using those in use by the US military, the Pentagon wants to repurpose the bodies of the 70-ton tanks stored in depots into spare parts. But the M1A1 Abrams should be superior to most Russian main battle tanks. It is easier to use than the successor model.