Ukrainian soldiers, who arrived at a Polish military base straight from the frontline, on Monday praised the Leopard battle tanks whose ins and outs they have been learning under the watchful eye of allied instructors.
"As of today, I can say that the machine is very high quality, very good," Ukrainian army major Vadym Khodak told reporters attending the training showcase in the southwestern village of Swietoszow.
"And what I like is that our soldiers like it very much," he added of the 105 Ukrainian troops who have been learning from Polish, Canadian and Norwegian instructors.
Germany recently gave the green light for the modern German-made tanks to be sent to Ukraine after a tireless campaign by Kyiv and other countries.
Last week, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin and its allies aim to deliver a first battalion of tanks by April, and others would follow later this year and next.
- 'Experienced tank drivers' -
Khodak said the tanks would be "a great support for our army."
Attending the showcase in Swietoszow, Polish President Andrzej Duda hailed the Ukrainian troops who have been battling Russia's invasion for the past year.
"These are very experienced tank drivers, who arrived here straight from the front" in Ukraine, he said.
"Just by looking at their faces, you can see that these men have lived through horrible things but are absolutely determined to defend their homeland," Duda added.
Some of the soldiers climbed aboard their future tanks during the demonstration, though up to now they have been practicing on simulators and learning theory.
- Twelve hours a day -
The training normally lasts two months but Ukraine's troops are getting a more intensive version -- the same content and number of hours but in just one month.
They train "around 10 to 12 hours a day, from Monday to Saturday," Polish instructor Krzysztof Sieradzki told reporters.
"The Ukrainian soldiers are dazzled by the simplicity of the build and the ergonomics of the crew compartments," Sieradzki said.
"There's no need for us to motivate them. If anything, we have to put the brakes on their enthusiasm," he added.
The major challenge ahead is to locate spare parts for the tanks, according to Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.
He said he hopes to bring up the issue with Pistorius at talks in Brussels on Tuesday.
dsi-sw-amj/ea
© Agence France-Presse
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.
Source: Story.KISSPR.com