The Russian forces have begun to shake the Ukrainian front lines, both sides are bitterly fighting for the city of Bakhmut. Russia’s most effective fighting force, the Wagner mercenary group, are aggressively attacking the city but are taking heavy losses for small gains.

The Ukrainians are using the winter to get ready for a push to expel the Russians out of the country. To do so the Ukrainians are pleading to receive heavily armored tanks from NATO, notably the English Challenger 2 and the German Leopard 2 main battle tanks.  NATO has been apprehensive in supplying these weapons as there has been an informal agreement that bars member nations from giving the Ukrainians offensive weapons, like fighter aircraft, long range missiles and main battle tanks.

The UK is considering supplying tanks to the Ukrainian Ground Forces and if they do, it is expected that other nations will follow the British lead.

Image: Image: Shutterstock: Andrew Harker

Produced By: Dominic Giles

Featured In Story: Associate Professor Matthew Sussex, Senior Fellow at ANU’s Strategic and Defense Studies Centre, and Dr Sonia Mycak, Research Fellow at the Australian National University Centre for European Studies

First aired on The Wire, Tuesday 10 January 2023