Click to see full-size image
Kiev has let the West down by losing supplied equipment – Berliner Zeitung.
Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
A senior Ukrainian official complained about the limited capabilities of military equipment supplied by France for front-line use against Russia, all while the Western European country continues to be gripped in riot and anarchy following the death of a 17-year-old French Muslim. At the same time, Ukraine was slammed by a German columnist for the high amount of equipment it is losing to Russian forces in its failed counteroffensive.
An unnamed Ukrainian officer, who was only identified by his call sign ‘Spartanets’, was cited by AFP saying: “Unfortunately, there was one case when the crew died in the vehicle. There was artillery shelling, and a shell exploded near the vehicle. The fragments pierced the armour, and the ammunition set detonated.”
The French-made vehicles can easily be penetrated even without suffering direct hits, thus constraining operations in a high-intensity conflict zone.
“The guns are good, the observation devices are good, but unfortunately, there is thin armour, and it is impractical to use them in the front line,” the officer added, warning against “just sending out the vehicles so they get destroyed, I consider it is impractical and unnecessary because it’s primarily a risk for the crew.”
Nonetheless, despite the incessant complaining, France is still one of several countries that have supplied military equipment to the Kiev regime. Previously, and in its typically entitled and unappreciative attitude, the Ukrainian military had also criticised the equipment provided by Italy and Germany.
But as highlighted by columnist Franz Becchi in an article in the Berliner Zeitung, Ukraine failed to meet the West’s expectations for the use of NATO-supplied equipment, having lost equipment shipped to the country a month later.
“With high expectations, Western countries supplied Ukraine with tanks and armoured personnel carriers in the hope that with these combat vehicles, the country would be able to achieve significant progress. The disappointment came about a month after the start of the summer offensive from Ukraine,” wrote the author.
He highlighted that on June 8, Ukrainian forces entered a Russian minefield south of Mala Tokmachka, and there, the 33rd Mechanised Brigade and the 47th Assault Brigade of Ukraine reportedly lost three of their 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks, 16 of their 109 M-2 infantry fighting vehicles and three of their six Leopard 2R engineering vehicles – apparently within minutes. The journalist pointed out that Berlin’s support for Kiev “cost lives and money.”
According to him, in 2023, Germany has already allocated about five and a half billion euros to provide military support to Ukraine. Becchi concluded that this is a significant investment compared to the two billion euros sent in 2022.
The Ukrainian offensive on the lines of operations south of Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Artyomovsk (Bakhmut) began on June 4. Kiev sent the brigades trained by NATO specialists and armed with Western equipment. However, Ukraine has lost at least 259 tanks and 780 armoured vehicles since the start of the so-called counter-offensive.
This demonstrates that Western military equipment does not prevent Ukrainian forces from being defeated. This is particularly due to the effectiveness and efficiency of Russian personnel and weapons, far superior to the already depleted Ukrainian forces, who continue to lose manpower and equipment at an alarming rate.
For his part, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed that Ukraine had not achieved any of its targets in its counteroffensive, failing in all directions.
“In general, the enemy did not reach its targets in either direction. This confirms the capabilities of our fighters and the clearly exaggerated expectations of Western weapons,” Shoigu said. “Even suffering substantial casualties, the Ukrainian leadership, at the insistence of its Western guardians, demands that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continues with the offensive.”
It is recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron promised more military aid to the Kiev regime in June because the long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive had started.
At a press conference after a meeting with Polish and German leaders, the so-called Weimar Triangle, Macron said on June 12: “We have done everything to help it. We have intensified the delivery of ammunitions, weapons and armed vehicles … We’ll continue in coming days and weeks.”
Macron said the meeting was proof that there was no division between “old” and “new” Europe. However, as it would turn out, France should not be worried about a divided Europe when evidently it is experiencing a catastrophic domestic division as riots and pillaging continue, and even in neighbouring Belgium and Switzerland, following the police killing of a French Muslim teenager of North African heritage.
The French president has been distracted by the Ukraine conflict, prioritising support for a neo-Nazi regime rather than focusing on the rather evidently brewing domestic tensions. To add insult to this French injury, Ukrainian officers are complaining about the inadequacy of French tanks in their aggression against Russia.
