Ukrainian troops complete Challenger 2, AS90 tank training: UK MoD

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Jun 2023 20:50

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on May 11 that all the Challenger 2 tanks that were promised to Kiev have arrived in Ukraine.

AS90 155 mm self-propelled guns. (Wikipedia Commons)

The British Ministry of Defense tweeted on Saturday that Ukrainian tank crews have completed their training on the Challenger 2 and AS90 tanks in the UK and are now on their way back to Ukraine.

💥 Meet the formidable AS90 and the mighty Challenger 2 tank.

🇬🇧 Ukrainian tank crews have completed training in the UK and have returned home to continue their fight against Russia’s illegal invasion.

🇺🇦#StandWithUkraine🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/9PJNpjwy0h
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) June 10, 2023

UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on May 11 that all the Challenger 2 tanks that were promised to Kiev have arrived in Ukraine.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Wallace said that all promised tanks were successfully delivered to Kiev, including spare parts.

The official added that Ukrainian soldiers have previously conducted drills to learn how to operate the vehicles.

On April 28, British Deputy Minister James Heappey announced that the UK had sent Kiev thousands of shells for Challenger 2 tanks, including those containing depleted uranium.

Heappey cited operational security concerns when he declined to estimate the number of depleted uranium rounds fired by the Ukrainian armed forces.

The British Minister admitted that the UK was not keeping track of the locations from which these rounds were fired and took no responsibility to assist Ukraine in removing the depleted uranium rounds after the war.

Touching on Heappey's comments, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said one should "be aware of one's shared responsibility."

"The UK is an island, so maybe for them, it's less important where this depleted uranium ends up radiating or not radiating whatever it may contain," he added.

Depleted ammo has previously been used by NATO and the US in Iraq and Libya. The radioactive components were responsible for increased cancer cases and birth defects among the populations.

Until today, NATO continues to uphold that depleted uranium shells have no consequences on the health of populations.