Tanks for Nothing: Majority of German Leopard 2 Tanks Not Working in Ukraine

Only a “very small number” of modern battle tanks provided to Ukraine from Germany are still in use, a member of the governing coalition in the Bundestag has revealed.

Green Party parliamentarian and defence expert Sebastian Schäfer admitted this week that the majority of the 18 Leopard 2 tanks supplied to Ukraine are no longer operational after being deployed into the battlefield last year.

“Unfortunately it has to be stated that that only a very small number of the battle tanks delivered by Ukraine can be used,” he wrote in a letter to defence contractors according to the German paper of record Welt.

Schäfer claimed that the central issue facing the operability of the German-supplied tanks — aside from being taken down in strikes from Russia — was a lack of spare parts to conduct repairs. This has been further exacerbated by attempts by the Ukrainian military to conduct repairs on their own, which he said have only resulted in further damage to the tanks.

However, spare parts notwithstanding, the admission that most of the German tanks have been taken down in some form on the battlefield against Russia will likely serve as a severe knock on the confidence in the Leopard 2 tanks, which are the premier land-fighting vehicle in the German arsenal. The tank has previously suffered embarrassing defeats, including against the Islamic State in Syria.

The situation is also emblematic of the poor state of Germany’s defence industry, which has been woefully underfunded for decades despite protestations from figures such as former President Donald Trump, who long called upon Berlin to meet its NATO defence spending requirements.

While it is unlikely that Germany will hit its NATO spending requirements this year either, Berlin has committed to doubling its aid to Ukraine from four to eight billion euros this year.

Schäfer argued that the country should be ready to spend even more to prop up the proxy war in Ukraine, noting: “We also have to prepare for the fact that support from the United States will decrease.” The Green Party politician said that even though Germany is the second largest backer of Ukraine behind the U.S., the country is still “underperforming” in assistance compared to the size of its economy.

In addition to ramping up production of spare parts for battle tanks, Schäfer said that Berlin should “finally make the delivery of long-range Taurus cruise missiles from the Bundeswehr’s stocks” to put the Ukrainian military in a stronger position against the Russian forces.

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