German howitzers stand idle in Ukraine because of lack of spare parts – Bild
10 September 2024 14:35
Ukrainian artillery units using German Panzerhaubitze 2000 self-propelled howitzers face a serious problem: a shortage of spare parts. Because of this, the German-supplied weapons are often out of commission, reports "Komersant Ukrainian" reports with reference to Bild.
Thus, despite the German government’s promise to supply Ukraine with 12 more such howitzers, even a significant number of the previously delivered units are currently out of service due to high levels of wear and tear.
The Ukrainian military calls the situation with spare parts catastrophic, the newspaper says. According to them, intense fighting, including during the Battle of Bakhmut in 2022, significantly accelerated the wear and tear of these artillery systems. The problem lies in the difficulty of producing new barrels for howitzers, which takes several months, as well as in bureaucratic obstacles to the supply of other important components.
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“It’s absurd that more combat systems are currently out of commission due to lack of spare parts than due to enemy fire. It would be great if the necessary parts were delivered in a timely manner, then Ukraine would have more systems for its defence,”
– said Markus Faber, Chairman of the Bundestag Defence Committee.
German representatives confirmed that they will soon supply several guns for urgent needs, but this is not enough to restore the full combat capability of Ukrainian units.
As reported 
, Germany is going to halve its military aid to Ukraine.
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