Russian soldiers. Representational Image/AFP.
Moscow: With reports of Ukraine starting counterattack anytime soon against Russia spreading like fire and the West providing arms and ammunitions to the war-torn country to fight invaders, Moscow is engaged in training tank-killer groups to fight modern munition that Kyiv is getting.
Evgeny Arifulin, who heads a military training center located very close to Nizhny Novgorod in central Russia, said the order to create tank-killer groups was issued by Russian Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.
Russia’s tank-killer
The groups are not just trained to hunt the tanks, but are also taught how to fire from artillery or operate various missile systems, Arifulin said.
“The facility could instruct as many as 700 soldiers at a time,” the official added.
With emphasise on tackling Western armour, Russian military are being taught about all the tanks, including American M1 Abrams, German Leopards, British Challengers and French Leclercs, Arifulin said.
“We know all their strengths and weaknesses and train the personnel [to fight them],” he said.
Who is training the Russian military?
The ‘tank-hunter’ group members are being trained by veteran instructors, who have been part of several conflicts in recent decades, including the ongoing full-scale special military operation in Ukraine, Russian TV channel Zvezda reported.
These groups comprise only a small number of soldiers, who are mostly armed with anti-tank guided missile launchers and predominantly use reconnaissance drones, the report added.
Ukraine has already started receiving Western-made tanks. Last month, the German Ministry of Defence sent 18 Leopard 2 A6 tanks and ammunition as well as spare parts to Kyiv.
Russia has been persistently warning the West that shipments of arms to Ukraine make it a direct participant in the war. Commenting on tank deliveries to Ukraine, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said this armour “would burn as the rest of it,” and would not change the eventual outcome of the hostilities.
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