Ukrainian soldiers from the 82nd Air Assault Brigade described how the British Challenger 2 tank has helped give them an edge in the fighting against Russian forces.
In a video posted to Telegram and translated by the military blogger WarTranslated on X, formerly Twitter, Ukrainian soldiers thanked Britain for the “honor” of using the tanks, saying they had given them a huge advantage compared to the old Soviet tanks they had previously been using.
“We only had brief experience on Soviet tanks. But when we came to Britain to train on these tanks, it was night and day difference,” Viktor, one of the tank operators, said, per the translation.
The British battle tank boosts Ukrainian morale
The crew said that they had “mainly worked against tree lines” so far on missions, rather than against other vehicles, which is the primary function of the Challenger 2, but they praised the tank’s armor and accuracy, saying they had had “no problem” striking concrete enemy dugouts and that they had fired at targets from 2.8 km, or around 1.7 miles, away.
When they were dispatched to support advancing infantry formations, the British tanks lifted the morale of the Ukrainian troops because their advanced capabilities meant they would have much greater protection from the enemy, said the Challenger crew members.
But they added that the tank was heavy for the local terrain, making cross-country mobility difficult at times.
Business Insider could not independently verify the video.
The video report did not specify when or where the interview occurred. WarTranslated said that some details are omitted from the report for secrecy purposes.
The UK announced in January 2023 that it would provide Ukraine with 14 Challenger 2 tanks as part of a military aid package.
According to the British Army’s website, the Challenger 2 is the force’s main battle tank and is “designed to destroy other tanks.”
The vehicle, which requires a crew of four, is equipped with a L30A1 120 mm rifled gun, a coaxial 7.62 mm L94A1 chain gun, and a 7.62 mm L37A2 hatch machine gun.
It is also fitted with “world-class Dorchester 2 armor,” per the army.
“These world-beating technologies make Challenger 2 slightly slower than some of its opponents, but the accuracy and lethality of the Challenger 2 offset their higher speeds,” per the site.
Contributor/Getty Images
In an update on the Russia-Ukraine war earlier this week, the British Ministry of Defence said that Russian ground forces had probably lost up to 365 main battle tanks since early October while achieving only small territorial gains.
But it noted that Russia was likely able to build “at least” 100 main battle tanks a month, meaning it would be able to keep up its current level of offensive activity “for the foreseeable future.”
