Ukraine refused to accept 10 Leopard 1 tanks from Germany due to defects – Kommersant

Ukraine refused to accept delivery of 10 Leopard 1 tanks from Germany, a German publication reported Der Spiegel. According to the publication, the reason for the refusal was defects discovered by inspectors in Poland.

Der Spiegel writes that the defects on the armored vehicles were the result of Ukrainian soldiers training on them in Germany in the past few weeks. The tanks currently need repairs. It is noted that it is impossible to repair them on the territory of Ukraine, since there are neither spare parts nor trained specialists there.

The publication also reported that in July, Ukraine also rejected another batch of Leopard 1 tanks due to similar defects.

In May 2023, the German government announced that it would supply Kyiv with 100 Leopard 1A5 battle tanks. At the same time, training of Ukrainian soldiers began at the Klitz military training ground in Saxony-Anhalt. Der Spiegel notes that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Chancellor Olaf Scholz often linked the delay in German military assistance to Ukraine with the fact that supplies must be prepared with high quality.