The Western decision to send tanks to Ukraine was enthusiastically praised by everyone, from Washington to Berlin to Kyiv. Moscow initially dismissed it, but then launched another wave of attacks.

The Kremlin warned previously that such tank delivery would lead to a dangerous escalation in the conflict in Ukraine. It strongly condemned the US and Germany’s decision to send heavy weapons to their foe.

It insists that the new armor will not stop Russia from achieving their goals in Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, stated that “the potential it gives the Ukrainian armed forces” was exaggerated. “These tanks will just burn like all other tanks.”

Moscow reacted to the news by minimizing the threat. This was evidently done in order to keep its face clean as the West increased the stakes in Ukraine. Experts from Russia also stressed that the supply of deadly armor would be limited and may take several months to reach the front.

Russia launched a new wave missiles and self-exploding drones in Ukraine on Thursday. This is the latest in a string of strikes that have hit key infrastructure and power plants.

Russian military bloggers and commentators claim that such attacks require meticulous preparation — thus, the most recent barrage was likely to have been planned in advance and not necessarily connected with the tank announcement.

Yohann Michel of the International Institute for Strategic Studies thought tank stated that, while Russia is bothered by Western arms supplies, it cannot stop them. He said that Russia cannot solve the problem. He also noted that previous decisions by the U.S., its allies, to supply weapons of air defense to Ukraine could have been more concerning for Moscow.

His diplomats, military leaders and President Vladimir Putin have warned repeatedly the West against supplying long-range weapons capable to striking deep within Russia. This would set a red line and prompt a huge retaliation.

Russian officials have warned about other weapons, including tanks and air defense systems, but the language is deliberately vague to prevent the Kremlin from being cornered with specific threats.

Poland, the Czech Republic, and other NATO members have provided Ukraine with hundreds more Soviet-made tanks. These tanks were made during the Cold War era of Soviet bloc. The Ukrainian armed forces have no need for additional training as they are familiar with the same aging weaponry. They were crucial in helping Ukraine reclaim large swathes of territory after 11 months of fighting.

The loss of armored units in Ukraine and the depletion of stockpiles for the T-72 tanks in Central and Eastern Europe led to Kyiv pushing for the delivery of Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks from the United States.

After weeks of delay, Germany announced Wednesday that it would provide Ukraine with 14 Leopard 2 tanks. Other allies will be able to follow the German lead and deliver 88 Leopards to create two tank battalions. The U.S. has announced that it will send 31 M1 Abrams tanks.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, and his officials, have long maintained that the country requires hundreds of tanks to defeat a foe equipped with more weapons. They praised the West’s decision as a significant breakthrough and expressed hope for more.

According to Oleh Zhdanov, a Ukrainian military expert, “The delivery of Leopard 2 will take the ground forces to a qualitatively different level.” Leopard 2 tanks are heavier than Soviet-designed tanks but they still have an edge in firepower, survivability, and overall strength.

Zhdanov stated that one Leopard 2 could be equal to three or five Russian tanks.

He noted, however, that the promised number Western tanks is only a minimum necessary for Ukraine to resist a possible offensive by Moscow and that Russia has many armored vehicles.

Zhdanov stated that Kyiv was preparing for a defensive offensive, and the outcome of this operation will determine the future course in the conflict.

Russian military analysts were less skeptical of the Western tanks. They claimed that Abrams was clearly superior to Soviet-built tanks in the war in Iraq, but the newer Russian tanks are better matched. The Russian military analysts also claimed that the Soviet-era anti tank weapons made of Leopard 2 tanks were invulnerable to the Turkish army’s use against the Kurds in Syria.

Diagrams showing the Leopard’s vulnerable points were quickly published by Russian online media. One headline stated, “Hit Leopard like your grandfather hit Tiger Tiger and Panther!” This was referring to Nazi tanks during World War II.

Andrei Kartapolov (a retired general who heads Russia’s defense affairs committee in lower Russian house of parliament) argued that Leopard 2 and Abrams were inferior to Russia’s T-90, which is a modified version T-72.

The T-14 Armata Russian tank has not been used in war yet. It was only made in very small quantities. According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russia had prepared a small number of T-14s for deployment in Ukraine. However, it stated that it was having engine and other issues.

Russian observers noted that it could take some time for the Western tanks in Ukraine to reach them. They also suggested that Ukrainians would need to be trained to use and maintain the tanks.

In a commentary, Ilya Kramnik, a Moscow-based defense analyst said that it is likely that the Ukrainian military will receive small quantities of tanks that might be incompatible with one another.

Zhdanov was a Ukrainian military analyst who argued that the West had crossed a psychological barrier by providing tanks to Ukraine and could then follow up with more deadly weapons.

He stated that the handing over of the Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine represents a significant change in the policy by Western allies. They have stopped fearing escalation, and are now ready for Russia in the war on resources. “The West has to open more doors to its military weapons to Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy spoke in a video address on Wednesday. He praised the formation of a “tank alliance” and stated that Ukraine will now seek more artillery, as well as long-range missiles, and eventually warplanes.

Ukrainian officials have long expressed their desire to see U.S. F-16 fighter planes and long-range rockets from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (known as HIMARS) reach targets far beyond the front lines.

These desires attracted the ominous comments of Konstantin Gavrilov (a Russian diplomat), similar to those made earlier by Putin and others.

“If Washington or NATO give Kyiv weapons for striking peaceful cities deep within Russia and trying to seize territories that constitutionally belong to Russia, it would force Moscow to take harsh reprisal action,” Gavrilov said to a meeting.