GERMANY (AFP) – The U.S. will begin training Ukrainian forces in using and maintaining Abrams tanks in the coming weeks to further accelerate efforts to bring them to the battlefield as soon as possible, the U.S said.
The decision will come as defense leaders across Europe and around the world gather at Ramstein Air Base to coordinate the delivery of weapons and other equipment to Ukraine. An announcement is expected later.
Officials say 31 tanks will arrive at his Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany at the end of May and the army will begin training in the coming weeks. Officials said the unit’s training will last about 10 weeks. The training tanks were not handed over to Ukraine for use in the war with Russia. Instead, 31 of his M1A1 main battle tanks are being refurbished in the US and ready to go to the front lines.
Its purpose was to train the converted tanks to completion so that the troops could immediately join the battle. The tank will be modified for Ukrainian needs.
About 250 Ukrainian troops are being trained, some learning to operate tanks and others learning to repair and maintain tanks, officials said. After the first 10 weeks, additional training in tank combat and piloting may also be provided. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not provide further details.
So far, the United States has already trained 8,800 Ukrainian troops who have returned to the battlefield, and about 2,500 more are currently in training. Their training included everything from basic weapons training to conducting combat operations to equipment maintenance and repair.
The Joe Biden administration announced in January that it would send Abrams tanks to Ukraine. For months it has argued that the tank is too complex to maintain and repair.The decision comes as Germany announces that it will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, while Poland and other allies will do the same.
Under heavy pressure from Ukraine and others to get tanks to Ukraine sooner, the Biden administration announced last month that it would expedite deliveries of Abrams tanks to Ukraine, replacing older models refurbished to run faster. chose to send. The goal is to bring a 70-ton combat power pack to the battlefield by the fall.
The U.S. also revealed that it would begin training Ukrainian forces on how to use, maintain and repair tanks, and that the instructions would coincide with tank overhauls so that both would later be combat-ready at the same time.
At the same time, the Pentagon must ensure a proper supply chain of all the parts the Ukrainian military needs to keep its tanks operational.
Russian and Ukrainian forces were largely in a stalemate, trading small lands over the winter. The fiercest fighting took place in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia struggles to besiege the city of Bakhmut in the face of stubborn Ukrainian defenses. However, both sides are expected to launch an even more intense offensive in the spring.
Britain’s Defense Ministry said Friday in its daily military assessment of the war that soft ground conditions and mud across much of Ukraine are likely to slow both sides’ operations in the conflict.
In another deployment, Ukrainian Air Force commander-in-chief Mykola Oleshuk said Friday he visited a US-made Patriot missile system that was used on the battlefield after its recent delivery. Ukrainian officials announced that the Patriots had arrived.
The Ukrainian military said on Friday that Russia had attacked Ukraine overnight using Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones. Russia launched about 10 drones at Ukrainian targets, eight of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defense systems, the Ukrainian General Staff said.
The Ukrainian president’s office reported Friday morning that at least six of her civilians were killed and six wounded in the last 24 hours in Ukraine. Russian artillery and rocket attacks mainly targeted towns and villages in the contested and partially occupied Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, according to Ukrainian officials. Outside of these areas, Russian forces also launched a mortar strike in Chernihiv province on Thursday. Russia launched drones overnight, attacking the Kiev, Poltava and Vinnitsa regions.
