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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

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Diplomat mocks US Senator for talking about invading Netherlands

Maria Zakharova quoted the US Senator, who called the ICC a "Kangaroo court" and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan a "deranged fanatic"

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Ukraine abandons Selidovo, laying mines in wells — security services

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Europe's 'hotheads' for sending troops to Ukraine, but there is no unity — Kremlin

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UK mercenary taken prisoner in Russia’s Kursk area — source

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Citizens of Poland, Germany, Italy apply for residence permit in Lugansk Republic

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Timing for commissioning entire Akkuyu NPP needs to be clarified — Russian ambassador

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Retreating Ukrainian troops leave dozens of bodies behind in Chasov Yar

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Erik Prince noted that it was necessary to end the Ukrainian conflict as soon as possible

Three Ukrainians almost freeze to death trying to flee into Hungary across Tizsa

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Conflict in Ukraine no longer regional war — German defense minister

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Explosion occurs at oil refinery in western Turkey, cause being investigated — TV

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Ukrainian army mercenaries from Colombia linked to US-controlled drug cartels — expert

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Ukrainian commander-in-chief reports threats to troops in Zaporozhye Region

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Putin appoints envoy for international criminal and legal cooperation

Ilya Rogachev is the first person to ever hold this office

Any escalation scenario possible in Ukraine conflict — Medvedev

According to the politician, Western nations need to understand that they are fighting on Ukraine’s side

'Western vector' leaves Ukraine poorest country in Europe — politician

Ukrainians have never seen the promised freedom, Viktor Medvedchuk noted

No existing missile defense system can counter Oreshnik — US expert

Theodore Postol also vehemently rejected suggestions that the Oreshnik system represents previous outdated developments of Moscow

FACTBOX: Cargo aircraft crashes into apartment building in Vilnius, Lithuania

Twelve local residents have been evacuated from the scene

Ukraine’s military loses nearly 10,000 troops at LPR borders over week — military expert

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Europe unable to wage war attrition on Russia — Ukraine’s ex-commander-in-chief

According to Zaluzhny, European countries lack munitions to shoot down air bombs

Senior envoy sees Putin’s statement as signal of Russia’s readiness for military responses

Sergey Ryabkov stressed that Russia has its underlying security interests "that will be ensured by every means that we have at our disposal"

Restrictions under New START treaty don’t apply to Oreshnik missile — Russian diplomat

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US did not contact Russia after use of Oreshnik missile — Deputy Foreign Minister

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Russia acted responsibly in warning US about Oreshnik missile launch, Kremlin says

The US was notified automatically 30 minutes before the launch by Russia's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center

Netanyahu may accept ceasefire in Lebanon to stop Hezbollah bombings — diplomat

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Shooting of Selidovo residents by Ukrainian troops meant to repeat Bucha provocation

The shooting of civilians could have been meant to "simply intimidate people who want to continue living on their soil," Russian foreign ministry’s ambassador at large, Rodion MIroshnik said

Putin has high hopes for cancer vaccine being developed in Russia

Head of the Federal Medical-Biological Agency Veronika Skvortskova briefed the Russian President on the vaccine's development

Scholz vows to continue supporting Ukraine following his chancellor nomination

The German chancellor listed supporting Ukraine at the top of his priorities should the SPD win and form a government

Press review: Russia to mass-produce Oreshnik missiles and EU gas prices reach record high

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, November 25th

Russians liberate about 8 square kilometers east of Velikaya Novosyolka in Donbass region

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