Experts: Without Combat Jet Protection To Artillery, Abrams And Leopard 2 Tanks Are Only Trash In Ukraine

"M1 Abrams Tank" while participating in joint exercises in Germany. (Wikimedia Commons/US Army/Spc. Tyler Kingsbury)

JAKARTA - The tanks M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 to be sent by the West to the Ukrainian Government are deemed not to be useful without proper protection, Russian Vice President of the Academy of Missiles and Artillery Konstantin Sivkov said in an interview with Turkish newspaper Aydinlik on Friday.

"Of course, the Leopard and Abrams tanks are very strong vehicles. However, these tanks are only trash unless they are protected by fighter jets and have strong defense and artillery support," the expert said.

Sivkov recalled that the main fighter tank (MBT) of Leopard had failed in Syria.

"The Turkish army is one of the strongest and most experienced militaries. However, when Leopard was used to fight ISIS in Syria, it claimed many victims," he said.

"The Turkish army lost ten Leopard tanks in just one day. Armor Abrams and Leopard tanks planned for Ukraine will face the same situation," the expert predicted.

In addition, he added, "the delivery of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine will not change anything, because the S-300 and Russia's S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems will easily shoot them down," he said.

It is known that the United States announced plans to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. This coincided with German confirmation of sending 14 Leopard 2 tanks, as well as allowing countries with similar tanks to send them to Ukraine.

In addition to the two countries, Britain, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and France also announced their intention to transfer the Western-made tanks to Kyiv.

Ukraine expects about 140 tank units from 12 countries in the first batch of deliveries.