According to the reference news network, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a message on March 31 that the Russian army is preparing to complete the most important task - to eliminate the most powerful army group of the Ukrainian army and liberate the whole territory of Donbass. In recent days, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has "rushed" to make video speeches between multinational parliaments, calling on Western countries to send more weapons aid to Ukraine. Foreign media reported that a US official said on the 1st that in order to strengthen Ukraine's military reserves in the Donbass region, the Biden administration will act as an "intermediary" for the first time to hand over Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine. In addition, according to CCTV news, the German Federal Defense Ministry has approved czech companies to sell a batch of East German (GDR) period armored vehicles to Ukraine on the 1st.
According to another report by "Russia Today" on the 1st, multiple factors, including the lack of weapons, have led to the suspension of the recruitment of foreign fighters by the Ukrainian "International Legion". At the same time, a growing number of "international recruits" complained about Ukraine's inadequate equipment and poor organization, and most foreign fighters had given up fighting and fled Ukraine, saying they "did not want to waste their lives becoming foreign cannon fodder."
The United States and its allies will hand over Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine
Germany agreed to ship 58 Soviet-made armored vehicles to Ukraine
With the Russian-Ukrainian conflict going on for more than a month, the Russian side announced that it would shift its military focus to the Donbass region. At the same time, Zelenskiy repeatedly called on Western countries to send military equipment, including tanks and fighter jets, to Ukraine. Foreign media reported that a US official said anonymously on April 1 that in response to Zelenskiy's request, the United States would cooperate with allies to hand over Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine, which is also the first time that the United States has acted as an "intermediary" in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict to help transfer tanks.
According to US media reports, a US official said on the condition of anonymity on April 1 that the United States would cooperate with allies in handing over Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine
The official said the Biden administration "will soon begin" to help deliver tanks to Ukraine, which will help Ukraine carry out long-range shelling of targets in the Donbass region. However, the official declined to say the specific number of tanks to be delivered to Ukraine and which countries would supply them. Reports suggest that the U.S. handover of Soviet-made tanks to Ukraine could mark a "new shift." Previously, the Biden administration has repeatedly called the weapons it supplies to Ukraine "defensive" and has focused on smaller, more portable weapons. According to CCTV News, U.S. White House press secretary Psaki said on the 1st that in the past few weeks, the United States has provided more than $350 million in military supplies to Ukraine, and the U.S. Department of Defense also claimed that this is "unprecedented speed."
Zelenskiy was disappointed by the "slow pace" of weapons being delivered to Ukraine by the West. Following a March 24 call on NATO to provide Ukraine with one percent of all its tanks and aircraft, Zelenskiy called on NATO three days later to provide military equipment such as aircraft, tanks, missile defense systems, and anti-ship weapons, all of which he called "dust-covered things in our partners' storage facilities."
After britain and Australia announced the supply of "more lethal" weapons to Ukraine, the German government also began to approve the shipment of "heavy military equipment" to Ukraine. According to Russia Today, a spokesman for Germany's Federal Defense Ministry told the media that Germany had agreed to the Czech company to ship 58 armored vehicles to Ukraine. It is reported that this batch of armored vehicles originally belonged to East Germany (GDR) and was developed by the Soviet Union in the mid-1960s as an infantry fighting vehicle. After German reunification, the armored vehicles were handed over to Sweden in the late 1990s and upgraded to the "PbV-501" version. Later, the armored vehicles had been sold to a Czech company.
Russia Today reported that the Czech company tried to transfer it to Ukraine in 2019 but did not get approval from Germany. According to CCTV News, the German government, led by Merkel at the time, rejected the application in accordance with its pledge not to supply ukraine with any weapons. With Scholz announcing that Germany has changed its position on not sending weapons to conflict zones, the principles no longer apply, and German Federal Defense Minister Lambrecht has recently approved the Czech company to sell 58 "PbV-501" armored vehicles to the Ukrainian army.
Soviet-developed "BMP-1" infantry fighting vehicle (data map)
However, because the 1960s armored vehicles still need to be maintained and repaired, the Czech company expects it will take several weeks to deliver the armored vehicles to Kiev. So far, Germany has not provided Ukraine with heavy military equipment such as artillery and tanks, only military armor and helmets, as well as portable air defense and anti-tank systems.
Lack of weapons and actual combat experience
The Ukrainian "International Legion" suspended the recruitment of foreigners
According to the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on April 1, a spokesman for ukraine's "International Legion" told Canada's "National Post" that the "International Legion" has currently suspended the recruitment of foreign fighters. On the one hand, the supply of weapons in Ukraine is insufficient, and some volunteers who joined the "International Legion" said that they had not received any ammunition or weapons provided by the Ukrainian army. On the other hand, the spokesman said that foreign volunteers lacked combat experience, had no military training and were not ready for battle, that sending them to the front line was "useless" and even brought "obstacles rather than help" to the Ukrainian army.
Screenshot of the Russian Satellite News Agency report
Days after Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine, Zelenskiy issued a call to foreign volunteers to join ukraine's armed forces and announced the formation of an "International Legion." Subsequently, Zelenskiy also signed a decree promising that any foreigner who wished to join the "International Legion" could enter the country visa-free. However, the Ukrainian military soon began a stricter screening of foreign volunteers. Last month, its recruitment had been narrowed to foreigners with "actual combat experience."
"Inexperienced recruits are useless on the front line." Boris Weizesniewski, a former Canadian mp who assisted the Ukrainian military in screening foreign volunteers, said, "Some people think they come here and get quick military training, get a gun, and then go to the front." If untrained people break in, there are all kinds of consequences. This can be a hindrance, not a help. However, Russian media reported that some "foreign recruits" came to Ukraine and were sent to the front line without training or with very little guns and ammunition.
According to the Global Times, Ukrainian officials claimed last month that as many as 20,000 foreign volunteers had come to Ukraine hoping to fight the Russian army. The Russian military estimated a week ago that only about 6,600 "foreign mercenaries and terrorists" remain active in Ukraine and that their numbers are decreasing. Some foreign fighters who have left Ukraine say Ukrainian commanders threaten their personal safety and ask them to rush to the front without proper weapons, ammunition and equipment, according to the Russian satellite news agency.
"There is no need to waste my life." Phil, a 35-year-old former British Army officer, wanted to join Ukraine's "International Corps", but when he conducted a "field investigation" in Ukraine and found that there were problems such as military equipment and poor organization, he changed his mind. Phil said: "I don't want to go on a suicide mission. Foreign media reported that a string of foreign volunteers, including Phil, was retreating from Ukraine's "International Corps." Belgium's Newspaper Nouvelle reported that more than half of the country's "fighters" in Ukraine had returned home, with one Belgian saying he "didn't want to be foreign cannon fodder."
Karper Renkawijk, a researcher at the University of Oslo's Centre for Extremism Studies in Norway, said the recent large number of foreign volunteers leaving Ukraine was expected. "These foreign volunteers may find that the actual situation is different from what they imagined." Renkawijk said the foreign volunteers did not speak Ukrainian, were not familiar with the local situation and lacked additional support from the Ukrainian military. He added that after the initial group of foreign volunteers did not perform well on the battlefield, the Ukrainian military instead focused on recruiting "veterans with high combat skills."
Red Star News reporter Hu Yiling
Edited by Guo Yu
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