Ukrainians are still near Soledar, says CNN

“To win this war, we need more military equipment, heavy equipment. Our cooperation with our allies continues, all I can say now is that we have started receiving heavy equipment.Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of the Ukrainian president, recalled in a news release today. telegram.

In fact, Ukrainian tank crews have to make do with what they have, namely old models of Soviet-designed tanks with primitive comfort, such as the T-64. To face the winter, they resort to do-it-yourself things — sometimes with things on hand — like turning a cat food box into a paraffin candle to keep warm in their tubs. If Western allies accept Kyiv’s demands for new and modern tanks, the drivers of these machines hope to one day have real on-board heat.

Near Lyman, a destroyed town recaptured from Russian forces in October but still close to the front, the commanding officer of a tank platoon admits: “The cold is the least of our worries. (…) The situation is very difficult, the equipment is breaking down. and ammunition missing, he listed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) under the snow. Beside him, a young mechanic works in the icy mud under an armored vehicle, digging in the deep crevasses left by the tracks of the advancing machines.

“We don’t have spare parts to maintain the tanks and the rails are broken, so if our maintenance brigade comes across hit tanks, they take what they need”The commander explains.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba this week called on Western countries to provide military aid for more ammunition, artillery, anti-aircraft systems and armored infantry. Interest is particularly focused on the German Leopard 2 battle tank, which Poland has said it is ready to deliver to Kiev, subject to a green light from Berlin.

These modern tanks outperform their Soviet counterparts in many ways, but the most important is where the ammunition is stored. “On a Soviet tank, the crew is sitting on ammunition, so if the tank is hit, that means 100% of the crew is dead.”Captain Volodymyr Tchaikovsky explains that while in the Leopard, shells are stored behind an armored panel instead of a crew compartment. “Most important to us is the safety of our crew, their lives are our priority. Equipment can be replaced, personnel cannotAccording to Mr. Tchaikovsky. This is the main reason why we need western tanks. Everything else – GPS, night vision, thermal vision … – comes later. »

Mark Kancian, researcher at the US think tank CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) also emphasizes the importance of this point. Although for some it is a “Design Defect” Leopard’s – storing ammunition in the back makes the tank look bigger and makes it an easier target – says expert “Reconciliation”. Ukrainians seem willing to do just that.

According to Kancian, the new tanks have better target acquisition systems and can strike at longer ranges than the tanks used by Russia and Ukraine. Mr. The Keynesian assures.

He believes that upgrading these T-72s would be a better option for Ukraine, rather than anticipating the reported arrival of Leopards. “Won’t Be a Miracle Cure”. Because, although dozens of machines were sent to Ukraine, “We are in symbol rather than real military capability”, Mr. For the Kancian. But for Captain Tchaikovsky, whose 25-year-old son is a lieutenant in his battalion, Western help is essential: “If we don’t have support from abroad, the conflict will drag on and there will be more casualties. »