Russia - threadbanned users in OP

a very very expensive suicide bomber

and very easy for anybody in that trench to hit it themselves from a distance as the tank approaches in a straight line

they already have suicide drones that can be laden with explosives and piloted with extreme accuracy not only into trenches, but adjusted so that they strike individual people directly.

Didn't they "acquire" many from the Russians?

Perhaps they're good for little else?

Perhaps old Soviet ammunition is running low anyway?

Easy targets? - good, keep the enemy artillery busy.

A tank can carry far more explosives than a drone.

About f-ing time Ukraine are finally getting their tanks

Yes, it would appear so.

Hopefully.

Although unfortunately Im not hearing much in the way of any news regarding Abrams arriving any time soon.

Could it be that Leopards will be on the ground well before any Abrams? That would make for some delicious discussion.

Are the Americans scholzing now? Or should that be Austin-ing? If Scholz gets the job done first.

I'm not sure that it's wise to overlook the inherent design flaws, they can't be refurbed away.

Investing in technologically surpassed tanks seems profoundly stupid to me.

Not to mention the obvious shift towards Western ammunition.

Interestingly, the Sky News report leaves out the most interesting part of the press release. Namely, those 14 tanks are just a first step, the eventual aim is to equip Ukraine with two battalions' worth of Leopard 2, which would be around 100 tanks once both are fully stood up. I'm not sure how many of those will come out of Bundeswehr units or depots, and how many will be provided by German arms manufacturers, but reading the press release, it looks like Scholz has gone from one extreme to another. Not that I mind.

German government press release (German): Bundesregierung kündigt Lieferung von Leopard-2-Panzern an die Ukraine an

They didn't have better options.

You could say the same about Soviet battle techniques.

Stupid it may be, but I've yet to see why.

Don't forget, the Ukrainians aren't particularly fond of those old tanks.

Estonia have no power to enforce the proposed blockade of Russian ships transiting through the baltics

If a russian naval ship escorts russian ships through the GOFREP area - what are Estonia going to do about it?

Other posters have already pointed out that a tank moving in a straight line towards the russians would be an easy target for the russian anti tank weapons and more often than not see them blown up without reaching their target if used as a simple explosive carrying system. While not as good as more modern tanks they still have an effective main gun and provide an armored position to fire this and lighter weapons like machine guns from so they are still a step up from having no tanks. While maintaining new NATO tanks would require Ukraine to get different spare parts and tools they already have the experience keeping the old soviet tanks operational and I think some of them have even been upgraded in the Czech republic to be better equipped for modern warfare before being shipped to Ukraine.

German politicians like Annalena Baerbock and others have been stand out figures.

Scholz is not acting like he is because he is German, no, it's ideological, Socialists in Switzerland are doing the same, blocking offensive capacity to Ukraine, and this is replicated across many European countries, including Ireland, those with a position most beneficial to Russia are majority radical left.

The CDU party have a lot of questions to answer about political leadership being compromised by Russia.

Russia put a lot of effort in to German politicians and leaders in the last few decades.

Fighting for Jesus now apparently!

Oh dear me.

I have severe doubts that anything is an easy target for the orcs. They have shown a clownish level of incompetence from day 1 and that isn't going to turn around for them now.

More likely scenario is that the influx of the new NATO toys accelerates the orc collapse.

History has shown us time and time again that appeasement doesn't work.

Didn't work with Hitler, didn't work with Russia when they invaded, Georgia, Chechnya, Ukraine the first time.....

Maybe 3rd time lucky with Ukraine?

Maybe people like him are ok with genocide in Europe in the 21st century?

I wouldn't have classified Roberts as Anti Western, he has done some wonderful work on Russia,his books on Molotov and Zhukov are highly recommendable.

His focus on the Soviet Union is very much on the late 30s to 50s and where his best books are.

He may be comparing Putin's more open and softer by comparison modern Russia to the USSR but forgetting that Russia is a pale version of that threat and power, dangerous and brutal as it still is.

Quotes from articles recently where he talks about "Western hardliners" and how Ukraine must grasp peace in an unwinnable war and other points are Wtf moments.

I always thought him a gruff and contrary type in UCC.

Maybe the West will risk war with Russia but that shouldn't be off the table, shouldn't have been from day one.