The Ukrainian military must recover damaged British tanks to prevent Russian intelligence from stealing key UK tech, military experts have warned. Britain's decision to become the first NATO ally to supply Ukraine with modern Western battle tanks helped pave the way for Germany's crucial announcement that it is finally to follow suit with its Leopard 2s.
Rishi Sunak told President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month that the UK is to send 14 Challenger 2s as part of its latest support package for the Ukrainian military.
It also includes around two dozen AS90 self-propelled guns, hundreds more armoured vehicles and precision-guided missiles, and 100,000 artillery rounds on top of the 100,000 already sent.
It keeps the UK at the forefront of Kyiv's military backers with £2.3 billion of support provided during the course of 2022, with ministers promising a similar amount this year.
But military experts are now worrying advanced technology could be stolen if damaged British tanks are not recovered by Ukrainians.
One expert told The Sun: “The British armour is the best in the world.
“In the history of Challenger 2s only one has been destroyed in battle and that was by friendly fire in Iraq.
“The Russians will be desperate to try and kill and capture a Challenger 2, partly for their propaganda but also to get their hands on its secrets.”
A defence source added: “If a tank is destroyed or disabled the first option is always to try and self-recover. You tow it with another tank or use a specialist armoured repair and recovery vehicle — which looks like a tank with a crane.
“But the worst case scenario is that a tank is destroyed when the lines are collapsing and friendly forces are in retreat.
“Step one is the training and working with mission planners to try and ensure the Challengers are not used in scenarios where they think that collapse a realistic possibility.
“Step two is making sure, at the tactical level, the Ukrainians are trained to recover a tank under fire. They certainly don’t lack the courage.”
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A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We conduct a rigorous assessment of the risks associated with providing weapons for the defence of Ukraine.
“The tanks we are providing to Ukraine will be drawn from the Army’s high readiness fleet to ensure they reach Ukrainian Armed Forces as quickly as possible. The platforms are already being prepared and will be ready to move in the coming months.”
Even before the fighting began, as Russian forces massed on the border, Britain was sending the first of thousands of modern Nlaw anti-tank missiles.
The shoulder-launched weapon proved highly effective as Ukrainian troops halted a huge Russian column advancing on Kyiv in a reverse which stunned the Kremlin.