Ukraine’s new tanks seen in action as counteroffensive gets under way
- Images of German-made Leopard tanks, US-made fighting vehicles are seen as genuine
- ‘Everything is just beginning,’ Russian general says as Ukrainian forces attempt advances
Ukraine’s new Nato-standard tanks and fighting vehicles are appearing in battlefield images as military analysts said Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive is getting under way.
German-made Leopard tanks and US Bradley Fighting Vehicles pushing toward the town of Tokmak, in Ukraine’s occupied south, showed up in photographs posted by Russian military bloggers that seem genuine, according to Osint Defender, an online open-source intelligence group that said it geolocated the images and checked for any signs they’d been manipulated.
“The Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun,” said Ben Barry, senior fellow for land warfare at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, in an emailed comment. “Since 4 June Ukrainian forces have been attacking along the front line. This seeks to pin Russian forces in place and probe for weaknesses.”
Ukraine is counting on the campaign to drive Russian forces from more of its territory, cementing support among its allies and heading off pressure from some other capitals for peace negotiations that would require it to give up ground.
US and European governments have provided tens of billions of dollars in weapons and training for Ukrainian troops as they prepare to take on a Russian military that’s spent months digging into defensive positions.