The Ukrainian military urgently needs more weapons and ammunition to repel Russian attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian Ambassador in Berlin Andriy Melnyk call Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) more and more desperately.

In addition to anti-tank weapons, helmets and medical supplies that have already been delivered, the focus for days has been on "heavy weapons", such as guns, anti-aircraft defense and tanks.

A discussion has broken out about the delivery of older "Marder" type armored personnel carriers, which, according to information from the media and the armaments company Rheinmetall, should be available in quantities of up to 100 at short notice.

Peter Carstens

Political correspondent in Berlin

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But Scholz hesitates.

So far, he has followed up his declarations of solidarity and his speech on the turning point with little that could offer the Ukrainian armed forces advantages on the battlefield.

Aside from a lack of decisiveness and a constant concern for Moscow's interests, there are also technical and armaments aspects why the delivery of armored personnel carriers is at least not that easy.

First of all, the "Marder" is a tracked vehicle designed to transport infantry forces, the Panzergrenadiers, protected into battle and to support them there with its onboard weapons: anti-tank guided missiles similar to those already supplied, as well as a 20mm cannon .

This is a fearsome weapon, but it doesn't compare to, say, the 125mm gun on a Russian T-72 main battle tank.

In contrast to the main battle tank, however, the "Marder" can transport six soldiers in addition to the crew of three.

Ukraine would very much like to have these 39-ton tanks, up to 100 pieces,

Once 2000 "Marder" armored personnel carriers

During the Cold War, the Bundeswehr had purchased around 2,000 "Marder" infantry fighting vehicles since 1970 and modernized them as the number decreased, most recently to the 1A5A1 version since the beginning of the previous decade.

Nevertheless, the "Marder" is now obsolete and should long since have been replaced in the army by a successor, the "Puma" infantry fighting vehicle.

However, of the approximately 350 newly purchased "Puma" tanks, only a few currently meet NATO's combat requirements.

A year ago, with great effort, the first ten were made combat-ready.

More than a decade after its introduction to the army.

By the fall, 40 examples of the world's most expensive and heaviest infantry fighting vehicle should be fit for war.

The "Puma" project is not exactly a reference event for the manufacturer Rheinmetall.

That is why, despite their advanced age, a few dozen "marders" are still the backbone of the Panzergrenadier troops.

And when the Panzergrenadierbrigade 37 takes over the leadership of the NATO rapid reaction force (VJTF) next year, they will have their proven "Marder" as infantry fighting vehicles in addition to the revamped "Pumas".

There is no question of excess: In the Bundeswehr there are still around 370 "Marders", but if you subtract those that are in the workshop or at the manufacturer for conversion, you get around 250 available armored personnel carriers.

A good half of these belong to the vehicles that are required for the VJTF, also as a reserve.

Apart from that, the vehicles would have to be delivered to Kyiv with sufficient ammunition - and that is one of the scarcest goods in the Bundeswehr depots.

The Bundeswehr could give up its "Marder" and would soon get a replacement, it is now said.

Supposedly there are around 100 old armored personnel carriers on a Rheinmetall company site in Unterlüß, which were once bought at scrap value.

Ironically, these antiques, which have been parked in the open air for years, are now supposed to be prepared and delivered to the army as replacements in a very short time, if they deliver from their stocks to the Ukraine.

And all this ten times faster than it usually takes.

The skepticism that the Ministry of Defense immediately harbored towards this idea was appropriate.

In addition, practically every "marten" in the army outside of the VJTF would be surrendered.

What should the Panzergrenadiers then practice with in the coming months or years?

Nevertheless, the pressure is great, and the ministry is probably quite annoyed about the alleged Rheinmetall offer, from which Berlin sees a Düsseldorf armaments company as the main beneficiary.

Ironically, those who have owed the army war-ready “Puma” armored personnel carriers for years.

There are other problems: Who is training the Ukrainians?

There is also disagreement about how long this might take.

Views range from three days for experienced tankers to three months.

That's not a spaceship, said the Ukrainian ambassador to this debate.

Another difficult question to answer is what happens when the first armored personnel carriers break down, either because of a breakdown or because of enemy fire.

Who would repair them, where would the spare parts come from, which are apparently not even available in sufficient numbers for the Bundeswehr?

Engineers and the military must answer such questions convincingly, despite and because of the political debate about the delivery of German tanks to Ukraine.

But it is also clear: Apart from technical considerations from a materially run-down Bundeswehr, Chancellor Scholz has to answer the calls for help.

Kiev's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at the weekend: "We need the heavy weapons from Germany immediately.

Any delay costs lives.”