Ukraine will receive about 450 tanks from 10 countries but will need months to be able to use them in combat

The problem is that once the diplomatic dispute is closed the most difficult will begin: get the heavy tanks to the battlefield in time to face the offensive that Russia is preparing for the spring (or before). So far, the shipment of military material to the front line It has been one of the best kept secrets of the war. It is not known for certain how this has been carried out or if the Russian military has ever managed to successfully attack a convoy carrying Allied weapons.

To an already complex operation in itself is now added the difficulty of moving almost 400 large tanks that at least ten countries have pledged to give. The most significant case is that of the 31 units of M1-Abrams that the Biden Administration will cede. Each of these armored vehicles weighs more than 60 tons, making it one of the lightest systems of this type.

“It will take time”

However, this is not the biggest challenge facing the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The delivery of these vehicles “It will take time”, as warned by the US president. A time that could mean “months, not weeks”according to a White House official consulted by the agency Reuters. This delay is due to the fact that Zelenski’s soldiers must receive training to operate such sophisticated machinery. That is why many countries have spoken about the need to train the military in the use and maintenance of modern tanks.

[Rabat juega a tres bandas: negocia con Rusia, envía tanques soviéticos a Kiev y recibirá Abrams de EEUU]

Spain and Portugal, which this week announced the shipment of a limited number of Leopard 2, are some of them. As Brais Cedeira explained in this newspaper, sources from the Ministry of Defense and the Spanish Army point out that the instruction is impossible to carry out “in less than four weeks”.

Poland, which in addition to the 240 T-72B tanks which has already sent aspires to donate 14 of these battleships after the unlocking of Germany, has not explicitly referred to the matter or confirmed whether or not it will participate in the training of troops. It is, however, one of the main concerns shared by allies. But it is not the only one.

Poor condition of the tanks

In some countries, the poor condition of certain types of tanks it also portends a delay in its deployment to kyiv. In November, for example, the Government of the United States, that of Netherlands and the one of Czech Republic announced that they would overhaul and repair 90 T-72B tanks for shipment to Ukraine. A trilateral agreement to modernize Soviet Union era tank. The same model as the twenty that Morocco recently renovated and transferred to Ukraine.

The Leopard 2 are more advanced than the Soviet-made ones, but they are no less for that prone to break. According to various experts consulted by this newspaper, in the Spanish case, these state-of-the-art systems they will have to undergo a comprehensive and complete repair before being transferred.

[Defensa plantea reparar 40 Leopard averiados con piezas de otros para poder enviarlos a Ucrania]

The Defense Minister herself, Margarita Robles, has dropped the agency efe this Wednesday that the Leopard 2 would have to go through the 4th step. This means, according to the sources consulted, that they require a structural reform, almost as if they went through the factory again.

For now, Norway, Finland and Sweden They have not confirmed the shipment of Leopard 2 tanks, although they have acknowledged that it is a possibility that is on the table. All of them have shown caution. Finland, for example, has indicated that it will send “a small number” because it shares a border with Russia, which could respond with a direct attack, and because it is still is not officially a member of NATO.