Click to see the full-size image
Written by Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst
It has been only a few weeks after the entire world saw the absolute debacle of NATO’s much-touted heavy armor. The event was accurately predicted by various independent experts and analysts mere days before the wanton counteroffensive. At that point, it became obvious that decades of close cooperation between the former Ukrainian military and NATO were effectively pointless. This also includes nearly a decade of much more intensive cooperation between the belligerent alliance and the (then newly installed) Neo-Nazi junta that focused on interoperability and the implementation of NATO standards.
However, the Kiev regime forces’ performance against even the conscripted (although battle-hardened) Donbass militias within the Russian military has not only left much to be desired, but is essentially quite poor in comparison to the massive amount of funds the Neo-Nazi junta is getting. And although the counteroffensive is still ongoing, resulting in largely insignificant gains (that are still firmly under Russian fire control), the results for heavy armor have been catastrophic, to say the least. The mainstream propaganda machine initially kept trying to conceal the horrible losses of NATO-sourced tanks and armored vehicles.
However, ample battlefield footage published by alternative platforms (particularly those on Telegram) made this an impossible task. As a result, the delivery of Western-made weapons, munitions and other equipment that was previously spearheaded by countries such as the US, UK, Poland, the Baltic states, etc. seems to be slowing down. Although London was the first to pledge heavy armor and long-range missiles, as well as banned depleted uranium munitions that can leave disastrous consequences, it is now quietly backing down from its commitments to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian”.
Namely, the UK command is now seeking “guarantees” from the Kiev regime forces that will “ensure” no UK-supplied “Challenger 2” MBTs (main battle tanks) are destroyed or captured by the Russian military. Apart from the effectively impossible ROE (rules of engagement), London wants the Neo-Nazi junta to follow other strict requirements that also apply to their every movement even in western parts of Ukraine, which is hundreds of kilometers away from the frontline. This includes special requests for storage to prevent long-range strikes, which effectively makes the “Challenger 2” the most pampered weapon system in the conflict.
“Imagine the propaganda coup of a captured, intact Challenger 2 being paraded in Red Square in Moscow! It doesn’t bear thinking about,” British Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Crawford told the British Daily Express a few months back.
It seems the UK is now “expressing frustration” at the way its MBTs are being used, complaining that the “guarantees” given by the Kiev regime forces are “simply insufficient”. Afraid of heavy losses, as demonstrated by the disastrous performance of German MBTs, long considered the best in NATO, London is looking for ways to limit their usage by the Neo-Nazi junta forces in order to prevent a similar fate for its prized MBTs. Interestingly, Washington DC seems to be doing the exact same thing, as it has also been strangely quiet, a stark contrast to the previously boastful pledge to send its M1 “Abrams” MBTs.
Back in January, I argued that Western heavy armor, including the British “Challenger 2”, American M1 “Abrams” and German “Leopard 2” are simply not suitable for the Kiev regime, as they weren’t designed to either fight in such terrain or under such conditions (complete lack of air superiority and extremely limited or even nonexistent CAS (close air support)). The same goes for the US-made “Bradley” armored fighting vehicle (AFV) and French AMX-10 wheeled tank destroyers. Western-made tanks are infamous for their size and weight, being up to 30% bigger and heavier than their Soviet/Russian counterparts.
Weighing 75 tonnes with additional combat armor modules, “Challenger 2” is nearly twice as heavy as the Ukrainian T-64BV (38 tonnes), which is the Kiev regime’s most commonly used tank. Extensive Soviet WWII-era experience and the pedological properties of the former USSR’s western areas prompted the superpower to build lighter tanks, as heavier vehicles would nearly always get hopelessly stuck in an ocean of mud caused by the infamous rasputitsa. Video and photo evidence shows even Russian and Ukrainian tanks getting bogged down, forcing their crews to abandon the vehicles to avoid ATGMs.
And indeed, even highly mobile targets have been picked off by infantry armed with ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) such as the Russian 9K135 “Kornet”, making immobile heavy armor a much easier target, even for artillery that is normally used against stationary objects. Even the much lighter Soviet-era APCs (armored personnel carriers) have trouble moving through the steppe mud, making it virtually impossible to conduct off-road maneuvers for either side. In turn, this forces military units to use roads, making them easier targets for warplanes, drones, artillery, attack helicopters and the aforementioned ATGM-armed infantry, etc.
With this in mind, fielding the much heavier Western-made tanks such as the “Challenger 2” (and other NATO-sourced armor) has proven to be not only militarily useless for the Kiev regime, but also quite deadly for countless forcibly conscripted Ukrainians that have been pointlessly killed during recent counteroffensive operations against the Russian military. With that in mind, by denying or at least postponing the usage of its “Challenger 2” MBTs in Ukraine, the UK might be sparing the lives of many Ukrainians. Of course, this is being done completely inadvertently, as London is one of the most prominent proponents of the “to the last Ukrainian” approach.
please be careful with our fragile tanks, they might not live up to expectations
and there you have it. the anglos/jews used their german vassal as a guinea pig. now that the german mic has been humiliated, the anglos are suddenly less keen to play ball. i guess we won’t be seeing any british tanks on the frontlines any time soon if ever. we might see them in a museum some day tho, or being used against unarmed shepherds somewhere in the middle east.
indeed it’s not good for sales looking at those blazing piles of scrap metal.
wertvoller schrott, stahl für neue t90
a bit like napolians old guard.
call trading standards. we, the nato cash cows, have been milked to exhaustion.
they’ve already been destroyed in the warehouse that they were stored in 3 days ago.
what expectations? it’s a money laundering operation and the taxpayers £ are flowing just fine
these are the best tanks in the world… … your mileage may vary.
ha, ha, ha … toto sa nedá ani okomentovať. tak potom si ich mali nechať doma, keď majú teraz strach, že by sa mohli dostať do rúk rusom.
ein komiker hat sich zum panzerspezialisten gemausert
der clown ist eigentlich schauspieler und die rolle des präsis,ist auch nur eine rolle. deutschlands bundeskasper ist steuerdieb der den größten steuerraub der deutschen nachkriegsgeschichte gedeckt hatte. (cumex skandal) politkasper sind eben immer schauspielende kriminelle. auch putin und xi sind da keine ausnahme,denke ich.
the west is not concerned with defeating russia. they want to weaken the russians. it’s sort of like a civil war going on here. russians kill russians and the west laughs. for this reason, i think that calling every ukrainian soldier a nazi or something similar is wrong. many russians from eastern ukraine are drafted into the ukrainian army.
it’s also a massive money laundering operation. lots of people at the top pushing this war on russia are getting insanely rich off taxpayers money.
same as every other war
that’s right. the nazis in the ukrainian army like azov are not the majority but they control it. the “drafted” russians (into the ukrainian army) support however indirectly the nazi regime.
therre was a time when a tiger 1 would scare off entire comanies if crusaders etc. clearly the age of the tank is over. better off sticking a huge artillery piece on the back of a lorry, much cheaper and probably more versatile. the embarresment the russians face at the start is now being felt by the west. whats needed is massive path clearance technology. or poison gas.
maybe the ukrainian junta should use these challengers for special occasions only? like pr shots for the bbc, who will spin and lie to their people and get them to fight another pointless war and die a needless death. the west has been boasting about their capabilities for decades and they have been masking their true value by fighting third world armies. as is the case with all big mouthed bullies, sooner or later it will get shut.
the uk’s best tank, which was in use for generations, was the ‘ centurion ‘. all the others did not survive the test of time.
challenger 2 was pitched as nato’s ultimate weapon that would simply drive through russian defense lines like they weren’t even there? tricking ukraine into sending tens of thousands of soldiers into armageddon, then taking away the only weapon that would save their lives and their country: that is the most despicable act any soldier, any government can do to their comrades and allies. disgusting.
the west is showing the products of their current failures with cluster bombs ,depleted uranium ammunition and impractical tanks in an ill conceived war . everyone will reap the consequences of their poor and demented mindless ambitions if they are not stopped.
i had predicted this last month. now that the leppard brand name has been effectively obliterated, the brisish war criminals are shitting bricks, knowing that as soon as their piles of junk appear on the frontline, they will be next…😂😂
extreme care to challenger tanks means always hide them inside some shit holes and never take them to battle field. otherwise propaganda will not save nato masters and they will suffer more humiliation like germany and leopards.
i propose that a even better scenario along with displaying these captured nato tanks would be for russia to capture a company of live american ,british and/ or french mercenaries . a delicious touch would be to parade them in chains like they did to black people
uk military has become the laughing stock of europe. “the uk command is now seeking “guarantees” from the kiev regime forces that will “ensure” no uk-supplied “challenger 2” mbts (main battle tanks) are destroyed or captured by the russian military.” better option would be to seek that guarantee from russian mod!!!
kiev lies to everyone, i don’t know why the british think they are so special as to receive extra pampering for this poison spreading insult? maybe the russians had a word with them about polluting their own farmers fields with du? at any rate they will soon burn like all the rest, russia is simply slaughtering these fools as they deserve.
yes indeed
the challengers are bravely holding the line, the line being the queue for the ferry service in dunkirk. last trooper aboard gets the beers!
imagine the conversation :
british guy : of course we’ll give you our lovely equipment but you can’t make our shit look bad
show the world how useless your british tanks are. even more humiliating knowing you can’t defend your own island.