https://www.rt.com/information/580588-uk-challenger-tank-ukraine/UK scrapped dozens of tanks that might have been despatched to Ukraine – Occasions

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https://www.rt.com/information/580588-uk-challenger-tank-ukraine/UK scrapped dozens of tanks that might have been despatched to Ukraine – Occasions

Britain has been amongst Kiev’s principal backers, offering armor and controversial depleted uranium shells

The British army destroyed dozens of Challenger 2 tanks that might have been despatched to Ukraine to assist it combat Russia, the Occasions has reported.

A complete of 43 fundamental battle tanks have been scrapped by the UK ministry of protection between 2010 and 2014, the paper revealed on Sunday, citing a freedom of knowledge disclosure.

The disposal price £4.3 million (round $5.5 million), and wanted to be made as a result of the Challenges 2 tanks have been in a situation “past any financial restore,” the paperwork learn.

The choice was made earlier than Crimea voted to rejoin Russia and relations between Moscow and the West started to deteriorate quickly. Nevertheless, the outlet emphasised that the British army has usually underestimated the significance of tanks on the trendy battlefield.

The protection ministry procured 386 Challenger 2s within the mid-Nineties, however the quantity was reduce by 40% as a part of the 2010 Strategic Protection and Safety Overview. Britain now plans to scale back its tank fleet to 148, whereas upgrading to the brand new Challenger 3 model, the paper reported.

One other 75 Challengers have been put into long-term storage, which was criticized by the chairman of the protection choose committee, Tobias Ellwood. In accordance with the Occasions, he argued that these tanks ought to have been despatched to Ukraine as an alternative.

Thus far London has offered Kiev with 14 Challenger 2 tanks. Nevertheless, there have been no stories of Ukraine utilizing them, regardless of actively deploying German-made Leopard 2s and American Bradley combating automobiles, a number of dozen of which have already been misplaced.

The US and its allies beefed up Ukrainian forces with tanks, APCs, and different {hardware} upfront of a much-hyped counteroffensive, which began in early June. Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged a number of instances that the Western armor “will burn” on the battlefield. Moscow says Kiev’s assaults haven’t produced vital positive factors thus far.

In March, Putin stated that Russia deliberate to supply or modernize some 1,600 tanks over the following three years.

The Occasions additionally quoted the assistant chief of the final employees, Maj. Gen. Charles Collins, who stated in March that as a result of drawdown of its army, Britain ought to have the “strategic humility” to simply accept that it can’t combat a serious conflict by itself anymore.

Russia has lengthy condemned the provision of American, British, and different overseas weapons to Ukraine, arguing that it’s going to solely delay the combating, with out stopping Moscow from attaining its army objectives. In accordance with the Kremlin, the help offered to Kiev by the US, the EU, and different Western nations makes them de facto events to the battle.

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