While the scale of Ukrainian battlefield losses of Western-built tanks claimed by invading Russia will obviously be taken with a pinch of salt, Kyiv is nevertheless asking Germany to send more armour east.

Leopard 2 tanks are worth “its weight in gold for the decisive offensive” and Germany should ship more of them to the front lines, so says former ambassador to Germany now working to drum up deliveries of equipment from abroad Andrij Melnyk. He said, per Germany’s Tagespiegel: “The Ukrainian army most urgently needs many more Western battle tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other armoured vehicles”.