DONETSK, October 31. /TASS/. German-made Leopard 2 tanks that the West is supplying to Ukraine have proven their inefficiency at the frontline due to technical flaws, Yan Gagin, adviser to the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), told TASS on Tuesday.
"These [Leopard 2] tanks have proven their inefficiency. They lack maneuverability, have a large weight, a weak cross-country capability, especially in the mud period, and quite a vulnerable hull. This tank cannot be repaired in the fields and can be only pulled away from a battlefield into a repair area where specially trained personnel must carry out its maintenance using the entire required repair equipment," he said.
Ukrainian servicemen perish both in operations as Leopard 2 crews and in attempts to evacuate the armor from the battlefield, Gagin said.
Earlier, the American magazine Forbes reported that the West was planning to deliver modified Soviet T-72M tanks to Ukraine to outfit them with new engines, electronics and reactive armor.