Russian forces pressed on with a multipronged offensive in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraine’s military said early on January 27, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy voiced his gratitude for the growing number of countries that have pledged advanced tanks to Kyiv while urging them to accelerate the delivery of the offensive assault vehicles.
Ukrainian troops repelled attacks in 11 locations in the two eastern regions over the past 24 hours, a day after Moscow unleashed another wave of missile strikes across Ukraine, killing at least 11 people and damaging energy infrastructure despite Kyiv’s air defense destroying most of the incoming projectiles.
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“The Defense Forces over the past day repelled the invaders’ attacks in Ploshanka, Nevske, and Chervonpopyivka in Luhansk, and Verkhnyokamyanske, Paraskoviyivka, Bakhmut, Klishchiyivka, Vodyane, Nevelske, Maryinka, and Vuhledar in Donetsk,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its daily report, which RFE/RL could not independently verify.
The latest reports of heavy fighting in the east came after Ukraine’s military said on January 26 that it had shot down 47 of 59 Russian missiles — some fired from Tu-95 strategic bombers in the Russian Arctic.
Moscow also launched 37 air strikes, 17 of them using Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. All drones were destroyed, the Ukrainian military said.
Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on January 26 that “there are already 12 countries in our tank coalition” to provide advanced Western battle tanks to help Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s 11-month Russian invasion.
He thanked “everyone in the world who is truly fighting against terror together with us” and re-emphasized the “speeding up” of the delivery of defense equipment to his country.
According to media reports, around 100 German-manufactured Leopard 2 tanks are being pledged by Germany and its allies initially, in addition to the U.S. contribution of 31 M1 Abrams tanks and Britain’s earlier promise of 14 Challenger 2 tanks.
Canada was the latest country to declare its intention to give Ukraine tanks. Ottawa will send four Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, the Canadian defense minister said, after Germany this week allowed other countries to re-export the German-built tank.
Poland, the Netherlands, and Spain previously announced their readiness to transfer some of the Leopard 2 tanks in their stocks to Ukraine, something they can only do with manufacturer Germany’s express permission.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Warsaw will give an extra 60 tanks to Ukraine in addition to the 14 German-made Leopards it has already promised.
Morawiecki, in an interview with Canadian CTV News television on January 26, said, “Right now, we are ready to send 60 of our modernized tanks, 30 of them [Polish-made] PT-91.”
Training of Ukrainian crews and delivery of tanks will take at least about two months in the earliest cases, according to public statements.
According to two diplomatic sources quoted by Reuters, France and Italy are close to finalizing the technical details to supply an SAMP/T air-defense system to Ukraine.
Hours after the German and U.S. tank announcements, Zelenskiy said he’d spoken to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and was pressing for the Western supply of long-range missiles and aircraft to Ukraine — a line that those governments have so far declined to cross.
Poland’s Morawiecki was quoted by dpa as telling a French broadcaster on January 26 that his country would be willing to send fighter jets to Ukraine if Warsaw’s NATO allies decided on such a move.
The Kremlin has reacted with fury to the latest gesture of Western solidarity with Ukraine, saying it saw the promised delivery of advanced tanks as evidence of escalating “direct involvement” of the United States and NATO in Russia’s war of aggression, something both deny.
