Ukraine-Russia Set To Fight Largest Tank Battle in Europe Since World War 2

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has warned that Europe is about to witness the biggest tank battle on the continent since World War II.

In a speech during a press conference with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Monday, Morawiecki said a tank battle in Ukraine is "imminent," as reported by Bloomberg.

Morawiecki then called for EU member states to offer more military support to Kyiv, as international observers expect Russia to launch an attack in the eastern region of Donbas soon.

"The most decisive battle is about to begin, and at the same time the largest tank battle in this part of the world since World War II," Poland's prime minister said on Monday, as quoted by Bloomberg.

The Battle Of Kursk

A future clash between Ukraine and Russia in Donbas, as predicted by Morawiecki, echoes the horrors of the Battle of Kursk between German and Soviet forces in July 1943.

The battle was Germany's last chance to conquer the Eastern Front after being defeated by the Red Army in the Battle of Stalingrad the year before. Kursk, a city in western Russia 280 miles south of Moscow, became the stage of a week-long bloody battle involving heavy artillery, tanks and over a million men.

Germany reportedly had amassed over 500,000 men, 10,000 mortars and artillery pieces, 2,500 aircraft and 2,700 tanks at the front in Kursk. The Soviet Army faced the German troops with over one million men, more than 20,000 artillery pieces and mortars, 2,650 aircraft and 3,600 tanks. The Red Army reportedly had an additional 1,500 tanks to deploy.

It is estimated that there were 800,000 casualties on the Soviet side, while the Germans suffered 200,000 casualties. The battle ended when the Germans were forced to retreat after being unable to break through the Red Army's defense and allied troops landed in Sicily on July 10 to open up a new front.

A New Phase in the Russian Invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia is amassing tens of thousands of troops in the east of Ukraine for a new offensive that likely aims, as the Kremlin has announced, at the "complete liberation" of Donbas.

It is expected that Russia will be able to deploy its full heavy military equipment in the eastern region thanks to the shorter supply line from Russia, taking advantage of its military superiority in this form of traditional warfare.

"The battle for Donbas will remind you of the Second World War, with its large operations and maneuvers, the involvement of thousands of tanks, armored vehicles, planes and artillery," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba last week after a meeting with NATO ministers.

"And this will not be a local operation, based on what we see in Russia's preparations. Either you help us now—and I'm speaking days, not weeks—or your help will come too late and many people will die."

The Czech Republic is so far the only country that has sent tanks to Ukraine, dispatching five T-72 tanks and five BVP-1 or BMP-1 tracked infantry fighting vehicles to the country last week, as reported by Reuters.

During the past week, both the UK and Germany have refused Ukraine's requests to send tanks, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying it "wouldn't be appropriate."

Ukrainian Defense Ministry Spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said Ukrainian authorities "forecast that active combat will begin in these areas [the Donbas] in the nearest time."

Russia has confirmed it will not pause fighting in Ukraine to hold peace talks with Ukrainian diplomats, as declared by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday during an interview with Russian state television.

"There would be no pause [in military action] so long as a final agreement is not reached," Lavrov said, as quoted by Reuters.

Moscow is said to have appointed a new general, Alexander Dvornikov, to lead the Russian troops in this new phase of the war. Dvornikov was recently deployed in Syria, where his troops supported Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.