Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks have been a failure on Ukraine’s battlefields according to classified document that details where they have gone wrong

Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks are said to have been a failure on the frontline in Ukraine and Kyiv’s soldiers prefer using German tanks from the 1960s, according to a damning assessment by Ukraine’s military.

Ukrainian soldiers also named a string of other high-end German military equipment, including howitzers and air defence systems, that they said were too fragile to function properly on the battlefield.

The shocking revelation was made by the Deputy Military Attaché at the German Embassy in Kyiv, who in January met with 200 German army soldiers at a military base in Saxony to provide them with feedback from their Ukrainian counterparts.

German media outlet Sueddeutsche Zeitung obtained a copy of the lecture transcript and discovered that Ukrainian soldiers were dissatisfied with much of the state-of-the-art German kit they were afforded. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shipped 18 of Germany’s Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in 2023 after allies, including the US and UK, agreed to send their Abrams and Challenger 2 tanks. 

Berlin has since become one of the foremost providers of military aid to Kyiv, but Ukrainian soldiers say that 60-year-old German tanks have proven more capable in fighting Russia’s forces than their modern replacements. 

‘Hardly any large German piece of equipment is fully suitable for war,’ the document concluded. 

The feedback said the Leopard 2A6 – pride of place in Germany’s lineup of modern war machines – was too complex and expensive to repair, and almost impossible to repair in the field if it sustained damage near or on the frontlines.

The Leopard 2’s predecessor, which entered service in 1965, is considered more reliable, while Ukrainian soldiers reported that Germany’s Gepard anti-aircraft tank – a derivative of the Leopard 1 that began service in 1976 – is ‘the most popular, most efficient, and most reliable weapon system’ Berlin has provided to Kyiv. 

German servicemen participate in drills with their main battle tank, the Leopard 2

Ukrainian soldiers repair a Leopard 2 tank in Zaporizhzhya region, Ukraine, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. Ukrainian soldiers are said to be frustrated at the performance of the Leopard 2

Ukrainian army from the 43rd Heavy Artillery Brigade fire the German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000

Ukrainians are said to prefer German tanks that are 60 years old as they are more reliable and easy to repair

‘Too expensive’ and ‘hard to repair’ were the central complaints in Ukrainian feedback regarding modern German weapons systems.

Another German product, the Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzer, reportedly suffered from such a ‘high technical vulnerability’ that its ‘combat capability is seriously questioned’.

Having delivered the Ukrainian feedback to the German troops in Saxony, the defence attaché ultimately concluded: ‘Complicated equipment remains unused… The operational value of ultra-modern and complex large-scale equipment is low if troops cannot carry out repairs on site.’

Managing Director of the European Resilience Initiative Centre Sergej Sumlenny explained why the Leopard 2 appears to be struggling in Ukraine, despite being considered as one of the world’s top-line battle tanks.

‘They were designed by a generation of German manufacturers that hadn’t seen war, and so tended to overcomplicate the system.

‘Older systems, designed in the 1960s by those who actually saw war, are far more useful on the battlefield but have weaker armour,’ Sumlenny told The Telegraph. 

‘Leopard 2s were also not designed for the Ukrainian battlefield. They function well when they have good air support, but Ukraine is short on this.’ 

Such revelations will be unwelcome news for the new German government, particularly after Parliament passed a measure tabled by Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merzto lift Germany’s so-called ‘debt brake’ and boost defence spending. 

Merz has said the government will ramp up defence spending ‘significantly’ over the next four years to meet NATO targets for troops and weapons. 

Germany will introduce a new military service, for now on a voluntary basis, after suspending conscription in 2011, the readiness of forces will be stepped up, and they will be fully equipped with weapons and other equipment.

Within the first six months in office, the coalition will pass a law to speed up defence procurement and simplify procedures.

The German Gepard anti-aircraft tank, which entered service in the 1970s, is among the favourite pieces of German military kit for Ukrainian soldiers

The Gepard antiaircraft tank of the German armed forces Bundeswehr fires during a demonstration at the exercise area of Munster about 80 km south east of Hamburg, Germany, June 20, 2007

Germany’s moves reflect a wider sentiment across the continent that defence spending and procurement must be made a priority as the European Union prepares for a scenario in which the bloc comes under attack from Russia and must respond without support from the United States. 

Under its ReArm Europe plan, the EU is looking to boost military spending by 800 billion euros ($876 billion) over the next four years, loosening fiscal rules on defence investment and joint borrowing for large defence projects against the EU budget.

But ministers are also considering a plan set forth by the Bruegel think tank which advocates for the creation of a specialist fund called the European Defence Mechanism (EDM).

Bruegel said the EDM fund could focus on the manufacture and procurement of ‘strategic enablers’ – costly military infrastructure and equipment armies need to operate – now often provided by the United States.

These include joint command and control systems, satellite-based intelligence and communication and development of expensive new weapon systems such as fifth- or sixth-generation fighter jet.

It also includes integrated weapon systems needed by multiple countries like strategic air defence, strategic large-scale air transport and maritime logistics, missiles and nuclear deterrence.

The EDM would also promote a single European market for defence equipment to lower costs, pool resources and improve interoperability. 

Defence production in the 27-nation EU is currently highly fragmented with at least seven different types of tanks, nine types of self-propelled howitzers and seven types of infantry fighting vehicles.

This has caused problems for Ukrainian units who have complained that ammunition for Western military equipment is not interchangeable, dramatically reducing frontline capabilities and increasing costs to replace munitions.  

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