British tanks deployed in Ukraine's Russia incursion

British tanks have been used to force back Vladimir Putin's troops during Ukraine's audacious incursion into Russia.

- TOM WATLING, KATE DEVLIN, ASKOLD KRUSHELNYCKY

Defence chiefs have hailed the contribution of Challenger 2 tanks, saying they are playing a crucial role in Volodymyr Zelensky’s startling tactic of using troops on Russian soil after years of defensive combat.

It is the first time UK tanks operated by Ukrainian troops have been used in combat on Russian territory, and comes as the incursion into the Kursk region expands as it enters a second week.

Mr Zelensky said yesterday that his troops have full control of the Russian town of Sudzha. It is the largest town Ukraine has seized so far in the war, with a population of around 5,000, and it is home to a measuring station for Russian natural gas that flows through pipelines to Europe.

Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace hailed the use of British equipment at the “forefront of enabling Ukraine to defend itself from [Mr Putin’s] illegal invasion”. He was optimistic about the impact the tanks will have, saying: “If the weapons we supply make a difference in protecting their self-defence, Britain should be satisfied that they are being used.”

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who served as defence secretary under John Major, said the move could be critical for Ukraine’s confidence as well as an “enormously invaluable” asset on the battlefield. He said Ukraine is “making it clear that Russia must expect to experience the same sort of suffering and the same sort of damage to their infrastructure as the Ukrainians have been subjected to for two years”.

“If it is a land battle, covering large areas of space, then these tanks are enormously invaluable,” Sir Malcolm said. “If they were not useful, the British army would not be having them.”