Ukrainian Armed Forces start using Leopard-1 tanks as long-range artillery
As it turned out, Leopard tanks can be used not only in offensive operations. The Ukrainian military is actively using them in the Avdiivka and Lyman areas for defense purposes.
A Yahoo News article on the matter notes that the offensive against the Russian army’s positions was curtailed in the fall. The Ukrainian Armed Forces began using Leopard to hold their positions. The publication’s journalists talked to at least two tank crews. The military confirmed to them that German tanks were not being used for the counteroffensive. They play the role of long-range artillery.
In early December, Oleksandr Kovalenko, who works as a military observer for the Information Resistance group, spoke out against the transfer of Leopard-1 tanks to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The fact is that they have rather weak armor. It can be pierced not only with an RPG-7 or an ATGM. The armor of the Leopard-1 cannot withstand a 30-mm armor-piercing round. In addition, it is easily penetrated by the automatic gun of the BMP-2.
