Russia blasts 'blatant provocation' as Putin's puppets call for Bundestag to be ... trends now
Furious Kremlin propagandists have called for nuclear strikes on the West in response to the expected decision to supply Ukraine with dozens of modern tanks.
Russia branded the move a 'blatant provocation' and one raging Putin mouthpiece called for the Bundestag to be destroyed after weeks of bitter rows between Germany and NATO allies looked set to finally resolve.
While there is yet to be official confirmation, officials in Germany and the US said M1 Abrams tanks and Leopard 2 tanks will soon be sent to the battlefield, to the delight of Kyiv.
Volodymyr Zelensky's officials hailed the move as a 'punching fist' for democracy, while Russia had previously warned it would cause a 'global catastrophe' and escalate the war beyond Ukraine's borders.
Putin's favourite propagandist Vladimir Solovyov ranted over the tank move which he sees as a significant blow to Putin
Russia had previously warned that the supply of more tanks would 'leave a lasting mark' and will lead to 'nothing good', with fears in Moscow that the hi-tech equipment could land a devastating blow on the invading forces.
Putin propagandist Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Moscow Institute of the Middle East, told Waldman-LINE channel that nuclear tipped missiles should be used on the centre of German democracy.
He said: 'German tanks with crosses on their armour will again march across Ukraine attacking Russian soldiers.
'I have a natural reaction to this - the Soviet Union bombed Berlin in 1941.
'And to me this is a signal that the Reichstag, or Bundestag, which now replaces the Reichstag, simply should not remain standing any longer.
'Flat, slightly radioactive, melted-down ground [will remain in its place].'
Meanwhile Putin's favourite propagandist Vladimir Solovyov also ranted over the tank move which he plainly sees as a significant blow to Putin while also being proof in Russian eyes that Germany has directly joined the war.
German soldiers carry out exercises with the Leopard 2 battle tank which could soon be deployed in Ukraine
Putin propagandist Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Moscow Institute of the Middle East, said nuclear tipped missiles should be used on the centre of German democracy
Washington is expected to announce as soon as today that it will send M1 Abrams tanks (pictured)
'It's time to send a clear, resolute message that we now consider Germany a direct party to the conflict, rekindling memories of WW2.
'German tanks appearing will definitely mean we consider German territory, military bases and other sites as legitimate targets.
'NATO wants to fight in this cunning way, pretending that it's not fighting.
'In your dreams! In your dreams!
'And [German defence minister Boris] Pistorius will go down in history as an imbecile who led to Germany to become a zone of direct destruction.
'And [Chancellor Olaf] Scholz too, and [foreign minister Annalena] Baerbock.
'The German people will know which new Nazi leaders they have raised and brought to power. That's my subjective opinion.'
Washington is expected to announce as soon as today that it will send M1 Abrams tanks and Berlin has decided to dispatch Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine's war effort.
Ukrainian soldiers are seen riding on a T-72 Soviet-era tank, used widely in the ongoing conflict, in the Donetsk region, January 20
One official said the tanks would be bought under an upcoming Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative package, which provides longer-range funding for weapons and equipment to be purchased from commercial vendors.
The U.S. announcement is expected in coordination with an announcement by Germany that it will approve Poland's request to transfer German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
By law, Germany needs to agree for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO.
By agreeing to send the Abrams at an as-yet unspecified time under the assistance initiative, the administration is able to meet Scholz's demand for an American commitment without having to send the tanks immediately.
'A few hundred tanks for our tank crews .... This is what is going to become a real punching fist of democracy,' Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration, wrote on Telegram.
In response to the escalation, Putin has begun a creeping new stealth mobilisation for the war, even while denying it is underway.
The Kremlin rejected a report emanating from US officials that a new 'quieter' wave of 200,000 recruits is planned.
Yet there is clear evidence of a dramatic new grab of conscripts both for fighting and to work in military plants building
