Abrams, Leopard 2 tanks to be useless in Ukraine without due protection, warns expert - VIDEO

M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks that the West intends to hand over to the Kiev regime will be useless in Ukraine without due protection, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences Konstantin Sivkov said in an interview with the Turkish newspaper Aydinlik on Friday.

"Of course, Leopard and Abrams tanks are very powerful vehicles. However, these tanks are garbage unless they are protected by fighter jets and enjoy strong defense and artillery support," the expert pointed out.

Leopard tanks "already suffered a failure in Syria," Sivkov recalled.

"The Turkish army is one of the strongest and most experienced militaries. However, when the Leopards were employed against the Islamic State [terrorist group outlawed in Russia] in Syria, numerous casualties ensued. The Turkish army lost ten Leopard tanks in just one day. The Abrams and Leopard armor slated for Ukraine will face the same plight," the expert predicted.

Moreover, the deliveries of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine won’t change anything as Russia’s S-300s and S-400s [anti-aircraft missile systems] will easily shoot them down," he said.

The Biden administration announced its intention on January 25 to hand over 31 M1 Abrams tanks to the Kiev regime. The German government confirmed on the same day that it would send 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and authorize their re-export by other countries. As German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated, Leopard 2 tanks could be delivered to Ukraine "by the end of March."

The United Kingdom, Norway, Poland, Slovakia and France also announced their intention to transfer Western-made tanks to Kiev. Ukraine expects to get as many as 140 tanks in the first batch from 12 nations.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that the degree of tension around Ukraine is growing due to Washington’s decisions and its pressure on other countries.