A Ukrainian armored vehicles commander has revealed that the T-64 tanks his troops are using to fight off Russian forces are twice as old as him and badly worn out.
The official, codenamed “Igor,” told Spanish newspaper El Pais that they are repeatedly forced to leave the field due to malfunctions.
He complained about their tanks’ guns constantly jamming.
“My tank is over 50 years old,” he told the outlet. “I am waiting for the German Leopard tank to arrive so I can transfer to a reliable vehicle.
‘Running Out of T-64s’
Since the beginning of the war, Ukraine has relied heavily on obsolete Soviet-era tanks inherited after the collapse of the communist bloc in 1991.
The armored vehicles still in service with the Ukrainian Army are T-64s, T-72s, T-80s, and T-84s.
However, a recent report by Forbes revealed that the country is running out of T-64s to support frontline operations.
Kyiv reportedly went to war with around 800 active T-64 tanks, but has lost roughly half in combat.
First introduced in 1963, the T-64s are considered a quality Soviet tank with a 700-horsepower diesel engine and are “hard to replace.”
Arrival of German Tanks
Igor’s complaint about using worn-out tanks comes less than a month after Germany finally gave the green light to send the long-desired Leopard 2s to Ukraine.
The Leopards, along with other main battle tanks from the West, are seen as key to a battlefield breakthrough.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recently said that his country has “half a battalion” of Leopard 2 tanks to send to its war-torn ally.
“For the German Leopards, I want to say again that ours will be delivered in the last week of March. That is certain,” he told AFP.