I'll start with the good news that Ukrainian military personnel have already arrived at the US Army base in Oklahoma for training on Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems. This was reported by the American channel Fox News. The terms of the training are not specified, it is about several months, but we understand that the Ukrainian military will try to do everything possible to speed up the delivery of these weapons to Ukraine. It is extremely necessary to stop the enemy's missile terror. The Bloomberg agency also reported that the Netherlands is considering the possibility of handing Ukraine a Patriot battery, that is, there will already be three batteries — German, American and Dutch.
And at this time, our General Staff announced that under the guise of a joint tactical exercise, which began on January 16, Russia is strengthening the combat aviation group in Belarus. Four military transport aircraft, 12 helicopters and at least 8 Su-35 fighters have already arrived at the Belarusian military airfield from Russia. In view of this, as reported by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff, the threat of missile and air strikes from the airspace of Belarus is increasing. Let me remind you that enemy warplanes and helicopters are convenient targets for our air defense systems. If these warplanes are tempted to cross our state border, they will add to the list of downed warplanes and helicopters. Today, this list already includes 286 aircraft and 276 helicopters and will continue to grow.
Petro Kuzyk, commander of the Svoboda Battalion said that the situation is not easy. The enemy tries to actively storm with maneuvers. Street battles are still going on in Soledar, and Ukrainian troops are fighting. Part of the town is under occupation, but in the industrial zone and on several streets, our military forces have established themselves and are successfully conducting defensive battles. Along the entire Bakhmut-Soledar line and in the surrounding villages, the Russian troops have received significant reinforcements, so they throw new and new forces into battle.
The commander of the Freedom Battalion noted that the enemy's artillery had become more active, and airstrikes had become more frequent. The dynamics of the battle has been increased. In addition to Soledar, the enemy is trying to push through from the flanks to Bakhmut. New enemy units with fresh forces behave rather brazenly but suffer losses. I think they will be like the Wagner Group mercenaries, sooner or later they will end. Our job is to grind them down defensively until further orders come.
Petro Kuzyk noted that the enemy had success in some areas, and it must be said honestly - the Russian forces pushed through. The line is now stabilized, and we are trying to return the territories. In general, the section along the flank of Bakhmut is more or less stable. The enemy is trying to develop success along Soledar, there are breakthroughs in this area, but the attention of our artillery is concentrated there. The result for yesterday and today is more than good.
The captain of Ukraine's National Guard said that things did not get any easier in Bakhmut. The enemy is trying to push through, trying to pin us down to prevent additional forces from being transferred to Soledar and other areas, but is suffering significant losses. I think the enemy will choke in this attack too.
Kuzyk added that new enemy units had arrived in the Klishchiivka area and were attacked, and several of them had already been destroyed. But the enemy adapts and we have a serious confrontation. Until now, the Wagner mercenaries worked there, that is, mixed units of convicts, mobilized and professional soldiers, but now they have been reinforced by trained and experienced personnel of the Russian military. This complicates our work, but we keep boundaries. If there is an order to go forward, we will go forward. Now there is an order to hold the borders.
In order to win, we need the courage of our people, as well as more weapons. Now we are waiting for another Ramstein-style meeting of defense ministers, and before that, the UK announced an unprecedented package of military aid, and Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said that it would be the most important package to accelerate Ukraine's military success. This package of military aid includes 14 units of Challenger 2 tanks, about 300 units of armored vehicles of various types, artillery, high-precision missiles - all this is essential support so that we can form new units or formations that are capable of conducting offensive actions. This package also has a political component, because it is believed that the acquisition of the British Challenger 2 tanks will finally open the way for other types of heavy armored vehicles, in particular the German Leopard tanks. But all the same, Challenger will be the first.
Mykola Salamakha, an expert on armored vehicles and a retired lieutenant colonel, noted that the Challenger 2 tank has a 120 mm rifled gun, which is the most powerful in its class. Also, the tank has extremely high accuracy and quite original ammunition: armor-piercing high-explosive shells, armor-piercing sub-caliber shells, as well as multi-purpose high-explosive shells with accumulative action. The sight is modern, combined with a thermal imager. Stabilization in two weapon planes, electric. The rotation speed of the tower is 9 seconds per 360 degrees, which is a record among armored vehicles of this class, that is, tanks weighing almost 60 tons or more, and the rotation speed is about two times faster than that of Soviet tanks. In the basic version, the weight of the tank is 62.5 tons, and if an additional set for protection is added, it is up to 75 tons.
The retired lieutenant colonel gave the example that in a potential duel between Challenger 2 tanks and Russian T-72, the Russian force would be forced to use an anti-tank guided missile and not risk approaching the Challenger closer than 3.5-4 km so that Russian tanks will have absolutely no chance to get closer.
An expert on armored vehicles believes that if the crews are trained by tankers with combat experience, literally a month and a half will be enough for retraining and additional combat adjustment of the tank company.