ISTANBUL
German Leopard tanks sent to Ukraine will be burned, suffering the same fate of the Nazi Tiger tanks of World War II, the head of the Russian State Duma said early on Thursday.
In a message on Telegram commemorating the 80th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, Vyacheslav Volodin said that Moscow’s victory in the battle came at a high cost, with the death of more than one million soldiers.
Calling the battle the beginning of Nazi Germany’s expulsion from Soviet soil, Volodin said Germany does not seem to have learned lessons from Moscow’s victory in Stalingrad, now known as Volgograd.
“(Angela) Merkel, (formerly) holding the post of chancellor, deceived the world community and her people, helping the Kyiv Nazi regime prepare for war,” Volodin claimed.
The current German government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz went even further by sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, he added.
“Their fate will be the same as 80 years ago. The Leopards will be burned, repeating the fate of the fascist Tigers,” Volodin said.
“The leadership of Germany should correctly explain to its citizens why they are once again dragging the German people into war. And remember the distant but memorable 1943.”
Germany announced last Wednesday that it will supply 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, train Ukrainian troops to use the tanks, and provide licenses to other European countries that wish to supply Leopards from their stocks.
The Battle of Stalingrad was a brutal 200-day military campaign in 1943 between Soviet forces and those of Nazi Germany and the Axis powers which are seen as turning the tide in favor of Allied forces.
The Leopard tanks are believed to be needed to fight off an expected Russian spring offensive in the Ukraine war, now almost a year old.
