Big battle with tanks and armored vehicles coming in Eastern Ukraine?

In a bid to significantly boost Western support for Ukraine, the UK has pledged to provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks and 30 AS90 155mm self-propelled guns to Ukraine. According to the BBC, this latest military aid package shows the UK's ambition to help Kiev gain an advantage over Russia. If the plan goes through, the UK will be the first Western country to deliver tanks to Ukraine and this could encourage other NATO members such as Germany to take similar steps.

Challenger 2 tank. Source: Reuters

However, Euronews reported that Germany could only supply Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in 2023 at the earliest. German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall said it needed orders to start repairing some of the 350 Leopard 2s in stock for Ukraine.

As the West considers supplying Ukraine with a batch of modern tanks, Russia has also taken new steps to break the stalemate in the nearly 11-month conflict. Last week, President Putin appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Russian military Valery Gerasimov as the new commander of the special military operation in Ukraine, replacing the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, General Sergey Surovikin. Surovikin will now be Gerasimov's deputy. The Russian Defense Ministry said the change is aimed at helping the Russian military carry out increasingly difficult tasks and ensuring close cooperation between different military branches.

TASS news agency reported in December 2022 that Russia had sent the latest T-90M Proryv-3 tanks to Ukraine to participate in the war. This tank is the most advanced variant of the T-90, upgraded from the Soviet-era T-72 tank line. TASS said that upon arriving at the deployment site, the tank crews will familiarize themselves with the terrain, practice firing and controlling the vehicle, and then join the fight.

Analysts say the latest moves suggest Russia is preparing to launch a large-scale armored offensive in Dnipropetrovsk after taking control of the Soledar and Bakhmut regions in Donbass following prolonged fierce battles.

Taking Soledar would allow Russia to cut off Ukraine’s supply lines to Bakhmut, said Le Monde analyst Jean-Philippe Lefief. Moscow could also pursue offensive operations to seize the city of Sloviansk, which is crucial to its plans to consolidate control over the Donbass region. Taking Sloviansk could open the way for Russia to launch offensive operations in the Dnipropetrovsk region, which remains under Ukrainian control.

The Dnipropetrovsk steppe has terrain characteristics that are suitable for large-scale armored deployments. The vast grasslands are free of tall trees and few obstacles, allowing gunners to observe distant targets and facilitate tank operations. These conditions have hardly existed since the beginning of the conflict, despite the fact that both Russia and Ukraine possess large numbers of Soviet-era tanks.

Russia's decision to replace the commander of its special military operations could signal preparations for a high-intensity combined arms war in which air power will be used to support ground forces.

If the conflict in Ukraine in general has become a testing ground for both Russian and Western military doctrines, tactics, and technologies, the tank battle in Dnipropetrovsk could become a proving ground for the effectiveness of the latest tank models produced by both sides.

Challenger 2 tank will confront T-90M

The British Army says the Challenger 2 tank was designed to destroy other enemy tanks and has been so successful that to date not a single Challenger 2 has been destroyed in combat.

The Challenger 2 is equipped with an L30 rifle capable of using sabot and high explosive plastic warhead (HESH) rounds for destruction and anti-tank purposes. For secondary weapons, the tank is equipped with a coaxial L94A17.62mm machine gun on the left side of the turret with a rate of fire of 520-550 rounds/minute. The turret also integrates an automatic weapon control system with a L37A2 7.62mm machine gun that can be controlled from inside the vehicle, or equipped with a 12.7mm caliber heavy machine gun. The Challenger 2 has second-generation armor that can withstand direct hits from the 125mm main gun of the T-72 tank.

Challenger 2 uses a 12-cylinder Perkins diesel engine with a capacity of 1,200 horsepower. The crew is equipped with a number of target observation devices including: SAGEM VS 580-10 sight with rangefinder (for the commander); TOGS II sight (for the gunner) allowing thermal imaging to be displayed for accurate aiming and combat in all conditions.

Russian T-90M tank. Photo: Russian State Media

According to Global Security, the Challenger 2's rival will be the T-90M Proryv-3 tank. The T-90M is expected to continue to play a key role in Russia's tank force until the country's army receives a sufficient number of T-14 Armata tanks.

The T-90M Proryv-3 is equipped with a 125 mm 2A82-1M gun similar to the T-14 Armata tank, with a long barrel and a new fire control system. This gun is capable of firing sabot shells, Telnik high-explosive fragmentation shells, Sprinter anti-tank missiles to attack targets beyond the main gun's range and shoot down helicopters. The tank's secondary weapons are a remotely controlled 12.7 mm Kord heavy machine gun and a 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.

The T-90M Proryv-3 is equipped with the new generation Relikt explosive reactive armor, a layer of tank armor on the lower part of the turret and the rear, increasing its defense capabilities. The T-90M Proryv-3 is equipped with the PNM-T sight, replacing the older Sosna-U sight that uses French-made components. This is to reduce Russia's dependence on Western technology./.

Hong Anh