Putin’s allies call for Berlin to be NUKED after Germany’s ‘game-changing’ decision to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine
FUMING Kremlin propagandists threatened nuclear strikes on the West today after Germany agreed to send tanks to Ukraine.
One high-profile Putin mouthpiece demanded Berlin's Bundestag parliament should be reduced to radioactive ash in retaliation.
It comes after dithering German chancellor Olaf Scholz folded to international pressure and direct pleas from president Volodymyr Zelensky.
He will now send a squadron of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, and allow Nato allies to re-export dozens more.
The Kremlin today hit back saying any tanks supplied by Germany and the US will ";burn like all the rest".
And raging Moscow TV pundit Yevgeny Satanovsky said warheads should be launched on the centre of German democracy.
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He said: “German tanks with crosses on their armour will again march across Ukraine attacking Russian soldiers.
“I have a natural reaction to this - the Soviet Union bombed Berlin in 1941.
“And to me this is a signal that the Reichstag, or Bundestag, which now replaces the Reichstag, simply should not remain standing any longer.
“Flat, slightly radioactive, melted-down ground [will remain in its place].”
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Another of Putin's favourite propagandists, TV host Vladimir Solovyov, claimed it meant Germany had joined the war.
He ranted "It’s time to send a clear, resolute message that we now consider Germany a direct party to the conflict, rekindling memories of World War Two.
“German tanks appearing [in Ukraine] will definitely mean we consider German territory, military bases and other sites as legitimate targets.”
The UK is already sending 14 Challenger 2s, answering Zelenksy's plea for more modern weaponry.
PM Rishi Sunak welcomed Germany's decision, saying the new heavy armour “will strengthen Ukraine’s defensive firepower”.
Mr Scholz had held back from supplying Leopards, fearing it could trigger World War Three.
But he finally relented today amid huge international pressure.
He will now send 14 Leopard 2s, plus spare parts and ammo, and lift a ban on other countries sending theirs.
Poland, Finland, Denmark, Norway and Spain were waiting for Berlin’s permission to send some of their fleets to Ukraine.
Reports said furious allies were ramping up pressure and threatened to defy Berlin by sending tanks without permission.
“This decision follows our well known line of supporting Ukraine to the best of our ability," said Mr Scholz today.
"We are acting in a closely coordinated manner internationally.”
Germany's Leopards, fielded by armies across Europe, are widely seen as the best option as they are available in large numbers and easy to deploy and maintain.
Around 2,000 Leopard 2 tanks are in use by Ukraine’s allies.
Other countries that use Leopards include Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands, which have all sent weapons to Ukraine.
Tank maker Rheinmetall said it could offer 51 Leopard 2 and 88 older Leopard 1 tanks over the next 12 months.
It said 29 Leopard 2s could be delivered as soon as May as Ukraine wants hundreds of tanks for a major spring offensive.
The ultimate aim is to create two tank battalions, a German government spokesman said.
Biden U-turn
The Leopard was developed for the West German army in the Seventies and entered into service at the end of that decade.
The updated version 2 is powered by a 1,500bhp diesel engine and equipped with a 120mm gun and advanced night vision.
Incredible footage showed a soldier balancing his pint on the barrel of the gun before it drives off without spilling a drop in a demonstration of how stable it is.
Germany's U-turn comes after Nato allies last week pledged to give Ukraine hundreds of heavy weapons for its fight against Russia.
Mr Zelensky told a defence chiefs’ meeting in Ramstein, Germany, that tanks were vital to victory.
He said: “Time remains a Russian weapon. We need to speed up.”
Several allies echoed Zelensky in saying the tanks were essential to Ukraine's fight with its much larger neighbour.
In a joint statement – a rare public criticism of Europe's leading power - the foreign ministers of the three Baltic states called "on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now."
They said: "This is needed to stop Russian aggression, help Ukraine and restore peace in Europe quickly.
"Germany as the leading European power has special responsibility in this regard."
And a coalition of senior British MPs wrote to Germany's defence minister demanding action “at this moment of extreme urgency.”
Meanwhile, Joe Biden was poised to approve sending around 30 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, US officials said yesterday.
It is a major reversal after Washington argued against sending its premier battle tank into the conflict with Russia.
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The Pentagon warned the Abrams is hard to maintain, needs specialist training to operate and runs on jet fuel, making it a poor choice for Ukraine's army.
However despite the U-turn it could still take months or even years for the tanks to be delivered.
