(Berlin) Berlin gives the green light to the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, which insistently demanded them in the face of the Russian invasion, announced Wednesday the spokesman of the German government.
Germany will also deliver 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine from Bundeswehr (German army) stocks, according to a government statement.
The announcement was made at the end of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday morning.
“This is the result of intensive consultations that have taken place with the European and international partners closest to Germany,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been under pressure for several weeks from his Western allies, Ukraine, but also from his partners in his government coalition, liberals and environmentalists.
“This decision follows our well-known line, which is to support Ukraine with all our might. We act in a closely concerted and coordinated manner at the international level”, according to Mr. Scholz, quoted in the press release.
“The objective is to quickly build two tank battalions equipped with Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine,” the statement said.
“For this, Germany will initially make available a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks, from Bundeswehr stocks,” according to the spokesperson. This 2A6 tank is a more recent and improved model than the 2A4, which intend to deliver in particular Poland and Finland.
“Training of Ukrainian crews must begin quickly in Germany,” the spokesman argued. “Besides training, the package will also include logistics, ammunition and systems maintenance.”
And “Germany will give partner countries that want to quickly deliver Leopard-2 tanks from their stock to Ukraine the necessary permits for the transfer,” he concluded.
Countries that have purchased Leopard 2 tanks from Germany for their armed forces must obtain permission from Berlin to re-export them.
Several countries, including Poland, Finland and the Netherlands, have expressed their willingness to deliver these heavy tanks, which are clamored for by Kyiv.
The United States could announce the delivery of Abrams tanks, according to the Wall Street Journal.
PHOTO ANATOLII STEPANOV, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
Ukrainian soldiers during training in the Donetsk region, January 21, 2023.
Ukraine increases penalties for disobedience and desertion in the army
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday promulgated a law increasing the penalties incurred by the military for disobedience and desertion, in the midst of the Russian invasion, a text criticized by human rights defenders.
According to the text published on the site of the Ukrainian Parliament which had adopted it in December, the facts concerned include the refusal to obey an order, threats against a commander, desertion and flight from the battlefield or the consumption of alcohol.
In particular, it prohibits the courts from reducing sentences or granting conditional sentences to servicemen found guilty. This provision has drawn strong criticism even though the severity of penalties has not changed significantly under the new law.
Ukrainian soldiers face up to 12 years in prison for desertion, up to ten years for disobedience or refusal to fight and up to seven years for threatening a superior.
During its discussion in Parliament, the text was criticized by human rights defenders and several organizations called on the president not to sign it.
A petition opposing the law registered on the presidency’s website had gathered nearly 35,000 signatures in December.
“Instead of thanking the military, who repelled a full-scale Russian invasion for almost a year and implemented successful operations to liberate the territory, we get prison sentences for the slightest disagreement or remark to commanders” , accuses this petition.
The bill, on the other hand, was supported by Ukrainian Chief of Staff Valery Zalouzhny.
According to him, the commanders on the ground have “demanded a systematic solution to this set of problems” and “under conditions of war, quick and effective decisions are necessary”.
“The army is disciplined. And if gaps in the legislation do not guarantee its respect […] this leads to increased losses, ”he said in December on Telegram.
PHOTO ANATOLII STEPANOV, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
Helmets of Ukrainian soldiers near a road in Soledar, January 14, 2023.
Ukrainian military admits ceding Soledar to Russian forces
The Ukrainian army admitted on Wednesday that it had ceded the eastern town of Soledar to the Russians, two weeks after the announcement of its capture by Moscow.
“After months of hard fighting […]the Ukrainian armed forces left it” to “withdraw to prepared positions”, the military spokesman for the eastern zone, Serguiï Tcherevaty, told AFP, refusing however to specify when this retreat took place.
The Russian paramilitary group Wagner announced that it had taken Soledar on January 11, followed by the Russian army on January 13. This small town in the Donetsk region of 11,000 inhabitants before the war, known for its salt mines, is located near Bakhmout, another hot spot in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainians had so far refused to recognize the loss of the city.
Soledar’s strategic importance has been disputed, with the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) saying it was “not an operationally significant development”.
The Russian army, on the other hand, presents the conquest of Soledar as a key step to encircle the neighboring city of Bakhmout, which it has been seeking to capture since the summer and where both sides are facing heavy losses.
The retreat of Soledar was “controlled, no encirclement or massive capture of our soldiers took place”, for his part assured Mr. Tcherevaty, who denied any “leakage” of Ukrainian soldiers.
Before retreating, the Ukrainian troops “inflicted incredible losses” on the Russians, he further assured, stressing that the Ukrainian strategy in this area was to “wear out the enemy”.
A Russian occupation official in eastern Ukraine claimed responsibility for an advance by Russian troops in Bakhmout on Wednesday, citing the capture of Soledar as the determining factor.
According to Mr. Tcherevaty however, these assertions “do not correspond to reality”. “The fighting continues. The situation is difficult, but under control,” he added.