The head of the union of military personnel of Germany, Wüstner: only 30% of German Leopard tanks are ready for battle

MOSCOW, 27 Feb – Andre Wüstner, head of the German military union declaredthat only 30% of all Leopard tanks in the Bundeswehr are currently suitable for use in combat.

Wustner noted that the German army will have to order replacements for 18 Leopard 2 tanks, which Berlin decided to transfer to Ukraine. At the same time, he answered negatively to the question of whether the Bundeswehr is now combat-ready.

“The Bundeswehr was no longer like that at the beginning of the war in Ukraine,” Wüstner said, adding that “additional gaps have arisen” due to aid to Ukraine.

In this regard, he expressed doubts about whether Germany will be able to fulfill its obligations to NATO from 2025.

As for the conflict in Ukraine, Wüstner believes that “it would be naive to believe that the war will end this year.” “We are living through a decade of war in Europe. NATO and Germany must strategically tune in to a decade of threats,” the head of the union of German military personnel said.

Russia has previously sent a note to NATO countries because of the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation stated that the NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.