Putin “Sends T-14 Armata Heavy Main Battle Tanks to Ukraine” – United Kingdom

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However, they argued that it would be a small number and “primarily for propaganda purposes” as Moscow was believed to have a fleet only “in the low tens”.

They also claimed that Russian commanders were “unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat” given the problems in its development.

In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defense in London said: “It is possible that Russia may consider deploying a small number of its new T-14 Armata main battle tanks to Ukraine.

In late December 2022, photos showed T-14s at a training ground in southern Russia: the site was linked to pre-deployment activity for the Ukraine operation.

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This followed Russian pro-government media claiming that the T-14s were ready for deployment. However, it is unclear whether Russia transferred this species to Ukraine.

The briefing added: “Any deployment of the T-14 is likely to be a risky decision for Russia. Eleven years into development, the program has faced delays, planned fleet size reductions, and reports of manufacturing problems.”

An additional challenge for Russia is adjusting its logistics chain to handle the T-14 because it is larger and heavier than other Russian tanks.

If Russia does deploy the T-14, it is likely primarily for propaganda purposes. Production is likely only in the low tens, while commanders are unlikely to trust the vehicle in combat.”

Britain, the United States, Ukraine and their allies are waging a media war against Putin’s regime, so their briefings should be treated with caution, however, far more believable than the propaganda put out by the Kremlin.

The latest MoD report may have been released to pave the way for the UK to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Poland is ready to supply German-made Leopard tanks.

However, Berlin reportedly refuses to give the green light to send these tanks to Ukraine, or for Germany to supply itself with Leopards, until the United States agrees to supply Kyiv with Abrams tanks.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was set to press new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Thursday to allow German-made tanks to be transferred to Ukraine, US officials said, as the two countries remain at odds over the issue.

Germany will allow German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine to aid in its defense against Russia if the United States agrees to send its own tanks, according to a German government source.

But US officials insist publicly and privately that Washington has no plans to send American-made tanks to Ukraine at this time, arguing that they would be too difficult for Kyiv to maintain and would require a huge logistical effort to simply operate.

“The (Defense) secretary will press the Germans on this,” said a senior US defense official.

The US official said supplying German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine made sense because a number of countries already had them and wanted to transfer them quickly.

The United States has allocated about $24 billion to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian forces.

A second US official said President Joe Biden’s administration was close to approving a new aid package for Ukraine, worth more than $2 (£1.6 billion).

The package, which could be announced as early as Friday during a meeting of defense chiefs at an air base in Germany, will likely include Stryker armored vehicles for Kiev, but not M1 Abrams tanks.

A senior Pentagon official said Wednesday that the United States aims to break the dynamic of grinding war and near-frozen front lines in Ukraine with newly announced military capabilities that it hopes will inject new momentum into the battle for Kyiv against Russian forces.

But Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s senior policy adviser, said the Pentagon was still not ready to meet Kyiv’s calls for M1 Abrams gas-guzzling main battle tanks.

Some officials in Eastern Europe have publicly called on Germany to allow the transfer of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki urged Germany on Monday to send invading Russian soldiers the weapons Ukraine needs to fight, giving a speech in Berlin with tacit criticism of Olaf Scholz’s government.

Britain said it would send 14 Challenger 2 tanks, its main battle tanks, along with additional artillery support to Ukraine, a move officials hope will open the door for Germany to take similar steps.

Some American officials still hope they can convince Germany to allow third-party tank transfers to Ukraine.

A second US official said: “We are very optimistic that we will make progress on this requirement by the end of the week.”

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