DEADLY Leopard-II tanks have been seen on the prowl as they’re shipped east towards Ukraine after Germany made good on their promise to help in the fight against Russia.
Footage that appeared on Saturday shows the menacing war machines lined up on freight trains as a huge logistics operation is launched to help rearm Ukraine to drive out Putin’s troops.
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The tanks – which were seen being moved with ‘Marder’ Infantry Fighting Vehicles – are set to arrive in a matter of weeks, just as Mad Vlad is stepping up his fight ahead of the bloody anniversary of the invasion.
It is believed the footage was taken in east Germany or Poland in recent days.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz finally agreed last week to send the tanks to Ukraine, further provoking an already infuriated Putin.
Satellite photos allegedly show new Russian fortifications on fronts in Luhansk down to Donetsk, and throughout Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, told Radio Svoboda that Russia is preparing for “maximum activation”.
He said of the invaders: “They believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements.
“There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say.”
The UK, US, Germany and Poland have all pledged 73 tanks in total in recent days to fight against the Russian war machine.
Ukrainian war leader President Zelensky has begged Western allies for at least 300 tanks to punch through the bloody stalemate.
Germany and Poland have pledged 28 highly advanced Leopard-II battle tanks, worth £5million each.
The UK has pledged 14 Challenger 2 battle tanks, which are slower than the Leopards but boast of incredible defensive capabilities.
And the US has promised Ukraine 31 of its Abrams M1A2s, but delivery of the jet-fuelled American tanks could take months to arrive on the frontlines.
Training to use the Leopard-II tanks could see them in use on battlefields in as little as 6 weeks, according to Breaking Defense.
Britain said it hopes their Challenger 2 tanks arrive to the frontlines by the end of March.
But defence sources have warned it would be a nightmare if the tanks were captured by Putin’s invaders.
His military scientists would then be free to study their state of the art armour and how to defeat it.
A source explained: “The British armour is the best in the world.
“In the history of Challenger 2s only one has been destroyed in battle and that was by friendly fire in Iraq.”
On paper the UK boasts 227 Challenger 2 tanks but only about 60 are battle-ready.
About 30 are in Estonia, with 14 bound for Ukraine.
Poland also said it would give an additional 60 tanks to the 14 it has already committed to the war effort.
Spain and Norway are expected to announce how many Leopard IIs they will send to Ukraine in the coming days.
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Sarah Hooper
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