The German army will start training Ukrainian soldiers to operate Leopard 2 tanks next week, the European Pravda reports.
According to German media reports, over the past few days, the German Air Force has delivered the first groups of Ukrainian military with military equipment from Poland to Germany. In the middle of next week, Leopard 2 training will begin at the Munster military training ground in Lower Saxony, where Ukrainian units are already training with Marder BMPs.
The Bundeswehr is planning a kind of course for Ukrainian soldiers, some of whom have arrived from the front line near the town of Bakhmut. The training will last only six to eight weeks. During this time, the soldiers will learn the basics of controlling a complex weapon system, as well as master the interaction of Leopard battle tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles.
If all goes according to plan, the trained soldiers are expected to return to the front line in Ukraine with Leopard tanks by the end of March.
Since the start of the full-scale war, about 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in various German garrisons on weapons systems such as the Gepard or Panzerhaubitze 2000 anti-aircraft system.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed hope that 80 Leopard 2 tanks would be ready for delivery to Ukraine by the end of March.