Russia's T-90M Proryv ('Breakthrough') tank is superior to the German Leopard tank, Yury Shvytkin, deputy head of the State Duma Defence Committee believes.
On the evening of January 24, it was reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz would allow Leopard 2 main battle tanks to be sent to Ukraine. It goes about at least one Leopard tank company of the 2A6 modification, consisting of ten tanks.
"The repair base of German Leopard tanks is suitable for tanks of other modifications, and they can be repaired quickly. These tanks are of strong firepower, but if we take our T-90M Proryv tank, it is superior to the Leopard," Shvytkin told lenta.ru publication.
Russia needs to increase the production of T-90M Proryv tanks as soon as possible, the MP believes.
"I would in no way say that the Leopard has superiority over our tanks," Yury Shvytkin said.
According to Colonel in Reserve Andrey Koshkin, the head of the Department of Political Science and Sociology of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Germany's Leopard is one of the most effective tanks.
"The Leopard is one of the most efficient tanks today. Both the French Leclerc and the British Challenger 2 are inferior to the Leopard," Koshkin told lenta.ru.
Koshkin also explained that the American Abrams tank is one of the most problematic ones.
"It has a turbine engine similar to the one used for helicopters. This tank is very complex, capricious and gas-guzzling,” Andrey Koshkin said.
In addition, Abrams tanks performed poorly in the Middle East.
On January 24, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the countries of the alliance could start preparing Leopard tanks for shipment to Ukraine. NATO will soon announce a decision regarding the supply of military hardware to Kyiv, as "it is necessary now."