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Military operation in Ukraine

Ukraine to receive only half of battalion of Leopard 2A6 tanks — German Defense Ministry

Also, according to the head of the German Ministry of Defense Boris Pistorius, Kyiv will be supplied with one battalion of Leopard 2A4

BRUSSELS, February 15. /TASS/. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Western countries will be able to provide Kiev with only half a battalion of more modern Leopard 2A6 battle tanks.

Germany’s top military official told journalists in Brussels on Wednesday where a meeting of NATO’s top brass was being held that no new commitments to supply Leopard 2A6 tanks had been made at a meeting of the so-called tank coalition. Only Germany and Portugal intend to supply this particular model. "We won’t have enough for a battalion," Pistorius admitted. "We will deliver half of the [Leopard 2] A6 battalion and one [Leopard 2] A4 battalion. And before the beginning of next year, they will be joined by more than 120 Leopard 1 A5 [tanks] which should not be underestimated," he stated.

That said, Pistorius noted that to date, including Poland’s contribution, there are almost 30 Leopard 2A4 tanks available. On the other hand, there have only been commitments of 14 Leopard 2A6 tanks from Germany and three such tanks from Portugal. Sweden is still checking whether it is capable of providing any tanks and if so, how many. According to the German defense minister, the Netherlands will participate only in supplying ammunition for the tanks while Denmark is still considering its options.

Pistorius said that in the end, five to six tank battalions will be delivered, without specifying the particular models. He stressed that given the equipment’s technical condition, from late March through the end of April, only the "majority" of Leopard 2 tanks would be delivered to the Kiev regime. Meanwhile, Germany’s 14 units will be sent to Ukraine no later than the last week of March.

On January 25, the German government confirmed that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and issue permits to other countries for their re-export. On February 7, the German cabinet of ministers approved delivering 178 Leopard 1A5 tanks to the Kiev regime. The military equipment will come from industrial stockpiles.

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Military operation in Ukraine

Polish general expects Russia to continue wiping out Abrams tanks in Ukraine

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SCO expects Belarus to join the organization very soon — Shoigu

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US intel finds no proof of Russian leadership’s involvement in Navalny’s death — newspaper

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One more suspect in Crocus City Hall terror attack arrested — police

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Global community changing tune about how Ukraine conflict started — security official

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Russia appreciates Bolivia’s push to defend sovereignty, Lavrov says

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Erdogan moves back from May 9 his trip to US — report

The report hasn’t been officially confirmed

Russian aerospace forces hit two terrorists base in Syria’s Homs governorate

Yury Popov, deputy chief of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria, also said that one shelling attack on the positions of government forces was reported in the Idlid de-escalation zone from positions of the Jabhat al-Nusra

IAEA chief to have working contacts with Rosatom, no meeting with Putin is planned

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EAEU trade turnover reaches record high level of $8.7 bln in 2023 — Russian Prime Minister

The trade turnover between Russia and Belarus reached 4 trillion rubles ($43.8 bln)

Russian troops wipe out military train with Western armaments in DPR over past day

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Terrorist attacks occur in Iran, Russia due to US support for terrorism — Iran’s top brass

According to the news agency Tasnim, when speaking about NATO eastward expansion, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani emphasized that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states should utilize the SCO potential in order to neutralize common threats

DPRK supports Russia in defending sovereignty, security — ambassador

The North Korean ambassador Sin Hong Chol praised the "sincere and excellent friendly relations" between Russian President Vladimir Putin and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un

Russian gas production to gain 4.6% in 2024 — Economy Ministry

Pipeline gas exports are forecast to edge up by 7% to 108 bln cubic meters

US nukes in Poland to become target for Russia should confrontation with NATO occur — MFA

"The impression is that Warsaw is maniacally seeking to attract even more attention from military planners in the Russian General Staff," Maria Zakharova added

Russia warns US, NATO against harming its security — diplomat

Maria Zakharova stressed that "the level of nuclear risks have risen dramatically as a result of the West’s destructive policy, which is fraught with a direct military confrontation between nuclear powers"

Court places Forbes reporter under house arrest for discrediting Russian armed forces

The press service specified that investigative and procedural actions are underway in coordination with Russia’s Federal Security Service

No conditions for talks with Kiev at this time — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stated that the position of Russian President Vladimir Putin "is well-known"

Polish general expects Russia to continue wiping out Abrams tanks in Ukraine

Waldemar Skrzypczak underlined that "no tank is invincible"

Press review: NATO flexes muscles near Russian border and South China Sea runs hot

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International cooperation needed to investigate Nord Stream incidents — Russian diplomat

According to Nebenzya, the real goal of the West, which is seeking to persuade the world of the futility of international efforts, is "to keep on telling the tale of lost time" as long as possible in a hope that "international community will forget about this terrorist attack"

NATO bears direct responsibility for Ukraine crisis — Chinese Foreign Ministry

Spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed that China was not providing weapons to the conflicting parties and strictly controlled dual-use goods, including the export of drones

Russia fights West’s sanctions at UN for the sake of developing countries — envoy to UN

According to the diplomat, Russia is engaged in "fierce battles on this issue in different committees of the General Assembly"

Medvedev warns that Russia’s default may entail Europe’s default

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council added that the European Union’s financial system is not very stable and people are losing confidence

Press review: China to weather US storm and ATACMS not 'wonder weapons'

Top stories from the Russian press on Saturday, April 27th