Britain agrees to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine in first for the West

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to provide 14 Challenger 2s and 30 AS90s, large, self-propelled guns.

Civil defence workers search for survivors in a residential building hit by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro on Saturday. Picture: AFP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to provide 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it the first Western country to supply the heavy tanks Kyiv has long been seeking.

The British move drew a swift reaction from Moscow, which warned it would only “intensify” the conflict, and came as Ukraine reported a fresh barrage of Russian missiles and civilian deaths Saturday.

“Bringing tanks to the conflict zone, far from drawing the hostilities to a close, will only serve to intensify combat operations, generating more casualties, including among the civilian population,” the Russian embassy in the UK said.

Moldova, meanwhile, said debris from the latest Russian missiles had landed on its territory, and condemned the attacks.

Mr Sunak said the tanks were a sign of the UK’s “ambition to intensify our support to Ukraine”, according to a readout of a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky late on Saturday.

Ukraine’s European allies have sent Kyiv more than 300 modernised Soviet tanks since Russia invaded in February 2022.

A woman found among debris of a residential building is carried out. Picture: Reuters

But they have so far held off on dispatching the Western-made heavy tanks Ukraine has repeatedly requested to push forward against Russian invaders.

Mr Zelensky thanked the UK on Twitter for making decisions that “will not only strengthen us on the battlefield, but also send the right signal to other partners”.

Ukraine’s forces have taken heavy losses in the battles of Soledar and Bakhmut in recent months and have called on the country’s allies to give more support. Russia said on Friday its forces had wrested control of the war-scarred town of Soledar in east Ukraine, its first claim of victory in months of battlefield setbacks, although Ukraine said fierce fighting was still under way.

“To win this war, we need more military equipment, heavy equipment,” Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also said he had spoken with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and “emphasised the need” for Ukraine to receive Western-type tanks.

The UK will also send around 30 AS90s, large, self-propelled guns, operated by five gunners.

The tanks will arrive in Ukraine in coming weeks, Downing Street said, adding that the UK will also begin training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the tanks and guns in coming days.

Britain's Challenger 2 tank.

The issue of heavy tanks has long been a key one for Kyiv, and many experts see providing Ukraine with modern tanks as a vital building block in its ability to win against Russia.

Germany has been especially hesitant to supply heavy tanks. It has delivered powerful mobile artillery and air defences but remains fearful of an escalation with Moscow if its tanks face off directly against their Russian opposite numbers. Britain’s announcement comes ahead of next week’s meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, which coordinates arms supplies to Kyiv, at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

Meanwhile, at least 12 people, including a 15-year-old girl, were killed and 64 wounded when an apartment building was hit in the eastern city of Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk governor Valentyn Reznichenko said on Telegram. Seven children were among the wounded, the youngest three years old, he added, saying “the fate of 26 people is still unknown”.

Mr Zelensky said later: “It’s not yet known how many people are under the rubble. Unfortunately, the death toll is growing every hour.”

AFP