Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, said that at this stage of the conflict, Kyiv needs from 350 to 450 tanks for “assault brigades.”
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said at the end of January that, as part of the first wave of assistance, Kyiv would receive 120-140 tanks of Western models.
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According to Podolyak, Kyiv’s allies are aware of the current state of the conflict “and what our needs are.”
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“Firstly, we need missiles with a range of 150-200 kilometers … We are already negotiating about them, but we will confirm them only when we have them. We also need at least two assault armored brigades, from 350 to 450 tanks , with the help of which we could quickly penetrate the occupied territories and liberate them,” he said.
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An adviser to the head of Zelensky’s office added that Ukrainian troops also need artillery and aircraft “to support and ensure this advance.”
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The Kyiv authorities have repeatedly announced plans to launch an offensive operation in the Crimea. At the same time, Podolyak stated that, having agreed on the supply of tanks, Kyiv was negotiating the supply of extended-range missiles and aviation for strikes in the Crimea. In December, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian troops, Valeriy Zaluzhny, stated that with the current resources, he could not carry out a new major operation, although work was underway on it. According to him, in order to return “to the positions of February 23“, 300 tanks, 600-700 infantry fighting vehicles, 500 howitzers are needed.
