Day: February 3, 2023

Logistics will be a decisive factor in determining how effective US M1 Abrams, British Challenger 2, and German Leopard tanks will be in Ukraine as Russia reportedly gears up for a spring offensive, according to defense experts.

The fact that these tanks have standard NATO weapons systems and subsystems that are greatly different from their Russian-made counterparts can create a major challenge for the Ukrainian military to operate and particularly maintain them, said Ahmet Alemdar, a senior Turkish defense expert.

“We’re talking about three different types of tanks,” he said, noting that training Ukrainian tank operators and maintenance teams is no easy task, especially when there is time pressure, as the tanks are badly needed in the field by spring.

Moreover, even after deploying them in the field, the tanks will need constant and extensive maintenance, a vast amount of ammunition, and spare parts, which will require the formation of an efficient and swift logistics network, said Alemdar.

He underscored that the success of the Western tanks will greatly depend on the Ukrainian forces who will use them.

The tactics and strategies that Ukrainian forces will employ and the tanks’ interoperability with other weapon systems including electronic warfare systems, artillery, and various aerial elements will be the most critical factors, according to Alemdar.

He said that fortunately for Ukraine, Ukrainian forces have already gained familiarity with using complex Western weapons.

The Russians, on the other hand, are reported to have begun fielding their latest tanks and armored fighting vehicles, including T-90s and BMPT Terminators, after losing huge numbers of such vehicles in the field, he said.

Against this backdrop, it is harder to make projections on the capabilities of the Russian army’s mechanized and armored elements, he explained.

Unsuitable ground for infantry

Anil Sahin, the editor-in-chief of a major Turkish defense news outlet, said the vast steppes of eastern Ukraine are unsuitable for infantry warfare and consequently, armored and mechanized forces are heavily employed by both sides.

He noted that the high tempo of the war, in which tanks have played an important role since its beginning last February, combined with the powerful anti-tank missiles that both Russia and Ukraine possess resulted in enormous tank and armored vehicle losses among the warring parties.

“Even hundreds of Soviet-era tanks provided to Kyiv by East European countries were not sufficient in the face of the extensivity of the battles, which intensified in eastern Ukraine,” Sahin said.

He said it was against this background that Western countries started rushing numerous armored vehicles to Ukraine, including US-made M113s and MaxxPros, German-made Marders and French-made AMX-10RCs and decided to send US Abrams, German Leopard, and British Challenger tanks.

According to Sahin, if Western tanks come with Israeli-made active protection systems (APS) such as Trophy, they would considerably boost Ukraine’s armored capabilities against the Russians.

If such modern Western vehicles are provided in increasing quantities, Ukraine can consider launching an assault on Russian forces before waiting for the Russians to attack or after, if it can, repelling the expected Russian spring attack, he added.

However, Sahin, like Alemdar, stressed the importance of logistics to be able to keep Western tanks on the battlefield.

Unlike their Russian counterparts, Western vehicles are more complicated to maintain, he said, adding that most such vehicles would need to be sent back to workshops in Eastern European countries for repair and maintenance.

As such, it would be a time-consuming and difficult endeavor to move tanks between Eastern Europe and eastern Ukraine, he added.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Türkiye is ready to lend support to the dialogue process between Kosovo and Serbia for regional peace if requested, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

"Türkiye is ready to provide all kinds of support for the peace and stability of our region and to make the necessary contribution if requested by the parties," Erdogan said at a news conference with Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Istanbul.

"We hope that the dialogue process with Serbia will result in a way that ensures the region's lasting peace and stability," he said.

Türkiye continued joint efforts to ensure that Kosovo reaches the position it deserves in the international arena, Erdogan said, adding: "In this regard, we support Kosovo's vision to join NATO, the Council of Europe, and the EU."

Besides political relations, Erdogan said they discussed what Türkiye and Kosovo can do in the fields of economy, trade, energy, defense industry and the fight against terrorism.

Referring to the group behind the 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye, Erdogan said: "I asked my dear friend to make additional efforts to increase our solidarity against Fetullah Terrorist Organization's (FETO) activities in Kosovo."

About economic relations, Erdogan said with the free trade agreement that entered into force in 2019, the two countries achieved a positive momentum in the bilateral trade volume.

"As the country with the highest exports to Kosovo, we must increase this figure to €1 billion," he added.

Türkiye recognized Kosovo on Feb. 18, 2008, the very first day following the declaration of independence.

The Balkans is a priority for Türkiye, not only for political, economic and geographical reasons, but also for its historical, cultural and human ties with the region.

Kurti, for his part, said Pristina will always be grateful to Türkiye for its role in NATO's intervention in Kosovo in 1999.

"This intervention stopped the genocide against the people of Kosovo and was important for the foundation of the country and maintaining peace," he said.

The prime minister thanked Erdogan for Türkiye's support to Kosovo's EU and NATO membership processes.

Turning to economic ties, Kurti said: "Türkiye is one of our important economic and trade partners. Of course, this makes us happy, but that should not be enough for us. We can use our current cooperation to reach higher potentials."

Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process

The EU requires Kosovo and Serbia to reach a final agreement that can resolve issues between the two countries for progress in the integration process.

Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, with most UN member states including the US, the UK, France, Germany and Türkiye recognizing it as a separate autonomous country from its neighbor. But Belgrade continues to regard it as its territory.

Lately, the parties have been negotiating what is popularly known as the Franco-German proposal, supported by the US and all EU members.

Serbian President Aleksander Vucic said in October that Germany and France offered to expedite Serbia’s EU membership process if it recognized Kosovo’s independence and allow it to become a member of international organizations.

According to the proposal leaked to the media, Kosovo should allow the establishment of the Union of Serbian Municipalities in the north where Serbs mostly live.

EU officials hope negotiations on the plan will be completed in the spring.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Foreign soldiers expressed their pleasure at participating in Türkiye's large-scale international winter military exercise in the eastern Kars province.

Starting on Jan. 18, Winter Exercise-2023 had 16 participants from friendly and allied countries, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Germany and the UK. The exercise officially ended on Friday.

A total of 2,113 personnel took part in the exercise, and over 650 vehicles and 860 weapons were used.

One of the soldiers participating in the exercise from Kazakhstan said he was happy and proud to be in friendly Türkiye, and to work with the Turkish soldiers.

"I saw that the Turkish headquarters officers were very hardworking and very advanced," the Kazakh soldier said, who cannot be named due to security reasons.

Turkish National Defense Ministry on Friday shared footage of the exercise where soldiers can be seen practicing in severe winter conditions.

The exercise also hosted Kosovar father and son, who worked together as mortarmen.

"We came to the Winter Exercise-2023 from the Kosovo. We work here with the Turkish army. We learn a lot from them. We are here with my father. We work together in the same place," the son was quoted as saying in the video shared by the ministry.

A soldier from Bosnia and Herzegovina said it is very important for the country to attend this exercise. "We are happy to be shoulder to shoulder with the Turkish Armed Forces once again in a large exercise," he said.

An Azerbaijani soldier said it was an honor for them to participate in the exercise, adding: "I hope the brotherhood between Azerbaijan and Türkiye will continue forever."

The aim of the exercise was to ensure cooperation and coordination in the execution of combined and joint operations, test the combat capabilities of the units, including firing in deep snow and severe cold, and improve the synchronization of firing and maneuvering by simulating the battlefield in all its dimensions.

Other purposes included improving the level of training in settlements, shelter, subsistence, supply and maintenance activities in the field and boosting survival capability in winter conditions, and ensuring the operation of command and control systems in winter conditions.

The exercise aimed to develop individual and collective training, provided commanders with the opportunity to lead and manage their units in winter conditions, and improve joint training of the troops with the forces.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The Catholic Church in Germany will pay over €40 million ($43.75 million) in compensation to the victims of sexual abuse and harassment, an independent commission report announced Friday.

The Independent Recognition Commission (UKA) said in the report that the compensation will be paid to 1,839 people who submitted their cases of harassment or abuse in Catholic churches during the last two years.

The average sum of compensation per victim will be around €22,500, it added.

The report also underscored that three out of four victims are boys and most applications came from the provinces of Cologne and Munster of the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia.

Source: Anadolu Agency