German Leopard Tanks Are Failing in Ukraine—Reports

Western deliveries of NATO-standard Leopard tanks are not fit for purpose in Ukraine, Russian state media has reported, as the military vehicles head towards the battlefield.

One report, cited in the Russian Pravda outlet, said the donated tanks had not undergone thorough inspections. It added that many of the tanks had been "kept unused at warehouses for years" or been hastily repaired before delivery to Ukraine.

Kyiv made repeated calls for Western-made main battle tanks, such as the German-made Leopards, ahead of Ukraine's backers consenting to the deliveries in January 2023. For Ukraine's military stocks, filled with Soviet-era tanks, these NATO-standard weapons represented a significant upgrade in capabilities. Several countries, including Canada, Poland and Portugal, have donated Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

However, some of the promised tanks came from storage, with questions arising about how battle-ready some of the committed vehicles would be. Ahead of Berlin committing Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the head of German military manufacturer Rheinmetall told German newspaper Bild that stocks of Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks "must be completely dismantled and rebuilt."

The Russian reports did not specify which type of Leopard tank has allegedly fallen short of Kyiv's requirements. Newsweek has reached out to the German and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment via email.

The Pravda report cited an anonymous Telegram channel, known as "Resident," which claims to publish insider knowledge from both Ukrainian and Russian sources. An unnamed source told account's administrators that Ukraine's top soldier, Valery Zaluzhny, informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that "several Leopard tanks failed on their first run-in, and the supplied artillery shells are of poor quality." Newsweek could not independently verify this, and the account has been denounced as Kremlin-backed by Ukraine.

In late March, Berlin confirmed that its donated 18 Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks had arrived in Ukraine. "I am sure that they can do something important at the front," German Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius said at the time.

British Challenger 2 main battle tanks have also made it to Ukraine, Oleksii Reznikov, Kyiv's defense minister, confirmed last month. Leopard tanks donated by Poland were delivered to Ukraine in late February, Warsaw said.

However, Ukraine has also been promised batches of the earlier Leopard 1 tanks. The Danish defense ministry said on March 11 that these would arrive in Ukraine in the spring. Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands committed to refurbishing at least 100 Leopard 1s, which are no longer in use by the German armed forces.

Spain's Minister of Defence Margarita Robles said in early April that Madrid's shipment of six Leopard 2 tanks would be sent to Ukraine in the second half of the month. Four more were expected to follow after repairs. The shipment was initially expected on April 9.

In late February, Robles told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that some of the promised Leopard 2A4s had been stored in poor conditions in a military facility in Zaragoza, northeastern Spain. They therefore needed restoration, Robles said.

Ukrainian tankers completed training in Spain on the Leopard 2A4s in mid-March, ahead of long-touted Ukrainian spring operations.

Ukraine is expected to use the Western-supplied battle tanks for an upcoming spring counteroffensive. However, Kyiv has been tight-lipped in recent weeks about any details relating to Ukraine's military plans.

In late March, Reznikov said the tanks will be deployed in a "counterattack, according to the decision of our General Staff." But this will depend on "the most suitable moment," he added.