In his latest speech at the forum, Putin focused on the potential threat of Western equipment in Ukraine. Among them, he makes a thought-provoking point: "Leopard 2" is burning, and this burning is beautiful.
Similarly, if the F-16 fighter arrives in Ukraine, it will burn.
Putin's statement shows that the assistance of Western countries to Ukraine's main battle equipment has enabled Russia to find a way to cope, and through the incentives of bonuses and medals, it has successfully improved the combat enthusiasm, proficiency in the use of Russian soldiers, and the ability to innovate in combat methods.
Putin made it clear that no matter what kind of assistance the West provides, whether it is F-16, F-18 fighter jets, "Gripen" fighter jets, or Russian-style equipment, we have the ability to turn them into ruins and make Western aid come to naught.
Once upon a time, the "Leopard" tank was known as the "king of European tanks", and it was widely believed that one "Leopard 2" A6 was equivalent to 10 T-8 T-80s, or even more than the T-90.
However, in actual combat, the "Leopard 2" tank could not move in front of the mine array, and sent it directly into the sky. This scene tells us that the comparison of simple data and mobility performance does not necessarily have the upper hand on the battlefield, and the victory or defeat on the battlefield often depends on the use of strategy and tactics and the tacit understanding of teamwork.
In Russia's combat operations, it seems that the traditional duel between tanks is not used, but by the use of heavy missiles such as objects and long-range Ka-52***.
This tactic made the mysterious and powerful image of Western ** equipment no longer exist, but began to lag behind on the battlefield and became a pile of wreckage. Even after repair, they launched offensive operations directly on the positions of the Ukrainian army.
The problem of Western assistance is mainly reflected in two aspects: first, the amount of aid is insufficient, the role of several tanks and infantry fighting vehicles is limited, if it is an F-16, it is also likely to be sporadic, and it is unlikely that a large number of ** equipment will enter Ukraine for a long time to carry out tasks.
Second, there is a lack of tactical research, for example, the "Leopard 2" tank, the training time is only 5 weeks, and it is impossible to avoid minefields in a hurry.
Even if the F-16 fighter has only flown for a few months, the gap with what it has been trained for half a year or a year is huge. Although it is capable of flying, it is still lacking in tactics and joint operations.
*Equipment and actual combat are two different things, winning battles is another level. So, while the United States is now going to supply F-16 fighter jets to neighboring countries and Australia to Ukraine decommissioned F-18 fighter jets, providing aircraft and providing actual capabilities are not an equivalent exchange.
Putin stressed that while Ukraine may have access to Western ** and equipment, these ** still do not perform as well on the battlefield as they do in the hands of Western countries if they lack training and skillful use.
Therefore, the next step should be focused on the integration of Ukraine's ground and air combat system with NATO. Individual ** equipment cannot be integrated into NATO's command system, early warning system and strike system, so its effectiveness in combat operations is limited.
The basic consensus at the NATO summit was to interconnect these equipment with the command systems of NATO countries, so that Ukraine's combat capability could be improved.
Therefore, Russia needs to attach great importance to NATO's joint combat system, especially for the command and penetration capabilities of Ukraine's independent combat units. Once this is resolved, these ** equipment will be able to play a greater role.
However, if the current forms of aid and support remain unchanged, these ** equipment may become waste, as Putin ** said, can only cause a "wonderful burn".