9:01 a.m
The characteristics of the Leopard tank, a tough and powerful armored vehicle
A world-renowned weapon with significant military impact in the field. Designed by the German manufacturer Krauss-Maffei and mass-produced from the late 1970s, the Leopard tank combines firepower, mobility and protection.
The main advantage of the tank: its ability to roll and shoot at the same time. It is also a fast tank as its 1500 hp allows it to reach a top speed of 70 km/h and a range of 450 km. For the attack, it is equipped with a 120 mm caliber smoothbore gun.
Its heavy armor also withstands mines and rocket launchers. In the German army, the Leopard 2 gradually replaced the American M48 Patton tanks, and then its predecessor, the Leopard 1 tank.
8:42
Is the delivery of Leopard tanks a turning point in the war?
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to announce the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine in his speech to the Bundestag at noon. These armored vehicles could then become an important help for Kyiv in repelling the Russian army.
Speaking on BFMTV this Wednesday morning, Xavier Tytelman, former military aviator and digital editor of Air and Cosmos, believes these heavy tanks will allow Kyiv to “move forward again.”
“We have given Ukraine many weapons that have proven their effectiveness. The problem is that the Russians have barricaded themselves with mobilization and additional funds are needed,” he adds.
According to him, the effect of the Leopard tanks will depend on the number of devices that Kyiv will receive. “The interest is that it is in several countries. With ten or fifteen we will reach 100, 200 tanks with a critical mass that can have an effect on the ground,” concludes Xavier Tytelman.
8:10
Two Brits die in ‘humanitarian evacuation’ in Soledar
Left as volunteers in Ukraine, two Britons, Christopher Parry, 28, and Andrew Bagshaw, 48, were killed trying to carry out a “medical evacuation” of the Russian-held town in recent weeks.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that our beloved Chrissy was killed along with her colleague Andrew Bagshaw while attempting a humanitarian evacuation from Soledar in eastern Ukraine,” said a statement from Christopher Parry’s family, transmitted by the UK Foreign Office.
In recent days, Soledar is still the scene of intense clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
7:28
Moscow denounces a “provocation” in the event of the delivery of German tanks to Kyiv
Even before Olaf Scholz spoke, Moscow countered. In a message posted to Facebook last nightThe Russian Embassy in the United States has transcribed an interview of Ambassador Anatoly Antonov, who was responding to the possible deployment of armored vehicles to Ukraine.
“If American tanks are sent to Ukraine, they will be destroyed,” he warned, adding that these shipments would constitute a new “obvious provocation against the Russian Federation.”
“Washington is deliberately trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us.”
“If the United States decided to supply tanks, justifying that decision with the ‘defensive weapons’ argument wouldn’t work,” he warns.
7:24
Why did the Germans block Leopard shipments for so long?
For several weeks now, Volodymyr Zelensky has been calling on Western countries to provide him with heavy tanks to deal with the Russian advance. In response, a dozen countries, including Poland, pledged to supply their Leopard 2 tanks to Poland at a summit meeting at the American base in Ramstein, Germany.
But Berlin, which produces these armored vehicles, must inevitably give its prior approval before the armored vehicles are shipped to a third country. A situation that is to be unlocked this Wednesday with Olaf Scholz’s speech in front of the Bundestag.
>> Discover the different reasons for the German ban on BFMTV.com
7:18
Chancellor Olaf Scholz will speak at noon
His speech is greatly awaited after several days of procrastination. Chancellor Olaf Scholz will address the German Bundestag this Wednesday at 1 p.m. with a possible announcement on deliveries of Leopard heavy tanks to Ukraine, which Ukraine is urgently demanding.
Two German media outlets, Spiegel and news channel NTV, assured that the Fuhrer would likely give the green light to countries – including Poland and Finland – on the occasion to supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv.
On Tuesday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put a little more pressure on Berlin, saying that “discussions must end with decisions” and pounding that “the need is greater” than “five, ten or fifteen tanks”.
7:13
Hello everyone!
Welcome to this live dedicated to the news about the Ukrainian conflict of January 25, 2023.
On this busy day, Germany is expected to take the plunge and allow Leopard heavy tanks to be shipped to Ukraine as ground fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine.
Domestically, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has to deal with a series of resignations of some of his employees and high-ranking officials after a corruption scandal involving supplies to the army.