Former US general suspects tactics: Are the Ukrainians luring the Russians into the leopard trap?

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Shortly after the start of the announced Ukrainian counter-offensive, satellite images of the Russian army suddenly appeared last week. It showed Leopard 2 tanks being targeted by Russian air combat units.

It is surprising that Ukraine relied on modern western tanks so early. Many experts assumed that the relatively expensive tanks would not be used until later in the war. After all, a Leopard 2 costs several million francs.

Ex-US general Ben Hodges now writes in an article for the “Center of European Policy Analysis” about a possible diversionary tactic. The actual offensive has probably not even started yet.

The Leopard 2 tanks, currently deployed on Ukrainian territory, are probably not intended for major gains in territory. Rather, they served “to draw a lot of attention to an area, perhaps as a distraction”, the former general suspects.

‘The Russians have no idea what’s going on’

Hodges emphasizes that he does not know the exact plans of the Ukrainians. “But I would have done the same with the distraction in her place, after all the media attention of the past few weeks.”

Video of a Leopard destruction also made the rounds on social media last week. Hodges now claims that the Ukrainian military removed the tank from the battlefield and restored it for use in combat. “That’s exactly what we did in the US military. It’s pretty impressive that the Ukrainians are doing just that.”

If the Leopard tanks had really only been used as a diversion, the Ukrainian army would have “done an excellent job”, the former general continues. “We can already say with certainty that the Ukrainian army is protecting important secrets. The Russians have no idea what is going on and have little to prepare for Ukrainian attacks. That is a credit to the Ukrainians.”

General believes in the liberation of Crimea

Hodges is confident that the Ukrainians will be able to recapture the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. “If Ukraine receives the necessary weapons from the West, including in particular long-range missiles, I believe that Ukraine will be able to liberate Crimea, the crucial area of ​​this war, by the end of this summer, i.e. the end of August . .”

According to Hodges, this would require more short- and medium-range missiles up to 300 kilometers. “I sincerely hope that the Americans will now follow Britain’s example and abandon their blockade stance,” Hodges writes. “That would give the offensive a decisive impetus.”

Source: Blick