BERLIN, Jan 22 of the oldest Leopard 2 tanks, which are used in exercises to simulate the enemy, Spiegel reports on Saturday.
According to the publication, in the spring of last year, the German Ministry of Defense compiled a list of all Leopard 2 tanks in the Bundeswehr, some of which could be given to Kyiv without lowering the defense capability of the German army.
“According to the list, the Bundeswehr has a total of 312 different Leopard tanks of 2 different production series, of which 99 were undergoing maintenance work in defense industry shops in May, and one has already been decommissioned,” says Spiegel, who received access to the document.
Thus, the Bundeswehr has only 212 working tanks of the 2A5, 2A6, 2A7 model range and the most modern 2A7V in the amount of 53 units. Transfer to Ukraine, according to insiders in a conversation with Spiegel, can be the oldest and no longer used for its intended purpose tanks.
«The Bundeswehr could transfer (to Kyiv — ed.) 19 Leopard 2A5 models. According to the list, they are currently used to «represent enemy forces» in the army's combat training center, that is, to simulate enemy tanks during maneuvers. The troops report, that they are ready to abandon the 2A5 model in the first place, since they are used only for exercises,» the newspaper writes.
On Saturday, the German issue of Business Insider reported, citing several sources in the ministry, that former German Defense Minister Christina Lambrecht, a week before her resignation and ahead of a meeting of the contact group on support for Ukraine, banned the inventory of Leopard tanks in service with the Bundeswehr, fearing increasing allied pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the issue of supplies to Kyiv.
Earlier, the new head of the ministry, Boris Pistorius, after a meeting of the contact group on support for Ukraine of NATO countries, explained that Germany is not yet ready to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine, however, he appointed an inspection of this type of tanks to assess the scenario for a positive decision in the future.