Expectations regarding German Leopard tanks, a significant part of which are now burning or have already burned in the Ukrainian steppes, were also not met. Photo: TASS
None of the expectations that the West would provide Ukraine with a “wonder weapon” that would help kyiv to defeat Moscow, and even in the shortest possible time, did not come true. The last such expectation was the German Leopard tanks, a significant part of which is now burning or has already burned in the Ukrainian steppes. But kyiv does not try to present things in such a way that the West does not give up. Almost every day there are animated messages about negotiations, deliveries, training, etc.
The only nuance of the situation is that not only the promised, but also the new Western assistance will not be able to help Kiev to correct the situation. Remember how some time ago the head of the German arms company Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, promised to open a whole tank plant in Ukraine. And even invest 200 million euros in its construction. The amount, frankly, is too modest for such an undertaking. But in kyiv this news was presented as a strategic victory.
And now Papperger is back in the pages of the German media. And in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, he confirms those promises. He said that he plans to start maintenance and repair of German tanks in the Ukraine in the next few days. And the first 12 Ukrainian workers have already begun training in Germany, and then the same number will join them.
On the one hand, it is clear that Armin is not going to risk German workers. You never know what he will hit: if not a Russian ballistic missile, for example, a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile. After all, in normal countries, the army fires anti-aircraft missiles at air targets, and the Ukrainian air defense, of course, is ruthless, but also meaningless.
But tell me, you were not alarmed by the number of workers at the enterprise for the repair of damaged tanks? 12 people. And the second stage – 12 more employees. Something tells us that the staffing at a decent car wash and tire shop is slightly outnumbered by this repair company. But pulling the caterpillar of a tank is not for you to balance the wheel of even a jeep.
Papperger, by the way, also announced plans to start tank production in Ukraine. And there, probably, those same 12 people from the second stage will be employed. Even for the assembly on the assembly line of the simplest passenger car, such a number of workers is clearly not enough. What can we say about the tanks?
That is, the result of the amount of this aid, in principle, is understandable. As well as the fact that the presence of such industries, as well as their absence, will in no way affect the situation on Nezalezhnaya.
Oh yeah, there’s also the F-16. That is, they are not, but just as promised. It is true that it is not known when. There are no pilots, and according to the most optimistic forecasts, there will not be before the spring of next year. But now the Americans themselves are pouring countless amounts of cold water on the heads of the Ukrainians.
– What will the F-16 (Ukrainians) give them? It is more compatible with the weapons that we are now supplying them, – asked the commander of the US Air Force in Europe and Africa, James Hecker, and he himself answered. – It will help you and give you additional potential, but it will not become a panacea.
In fact, the same Western cruise missiles, for which these American fighters are needed, are now launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Su-24 front-line bomber units specially modified for this purpose. And the F-16s are very capricious machines, they require a better approach to operating conditions (for example, an ideal runway), repair and post-flight and pre-flight maintenance than the old Soviet “bombers”. The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with these fighters will obviously have more headaches, but this factor is ignored in kyiv for the sake of getting a “wunderwaffle”. They will only receive them after completing pilot training. And this is a matter of an even more distant future.
By the way, in the opinion of this current American general and authoritative pilot, the expected period of one and a half years to train pilots for these fighters is an overly optimistic estimate. In reality, this can take up to five years.
– To learn to fly the F-16, it will not be overnight. You can get familiar with some weapon systems pretty quickly. But the likes of F-16s take time to build even a couple of F-16 squadrons. And so that his readiness is high enough and his skill is high enough. I mean, it could be in four or five years,” Hecker gave his disappointing forecast for Ukraine.
The situation is similar with the American Abrams tanks. Some 200 Ukrainian tankers have reportedly completed their training on these US tanks. But they will not return to Ukraine until these tanks get there. At best, this will happen at the end of September, when the autumn rains and slush begin.
Overall, all US and Western assistance to Nezalezhnaya can only help Kiev prolong the death throes of Zelensky and his regime. As US Congressman Andy Harris, who is absolutely not sympathetic to Russia, put it, “Zelensky would have suffered a crushing defeat in the current conflict without our support!”
And then Harris thought, sighed, and added, “He doesn’t win with our help either, anyway.”
