Denmark’s military, Forsvaret, is to send 14 Leopard 2A7 tanks to Estonia as part of a Nato mission, it confirmed in a press statement.

“We are talking about a mission which in many ways is historic. It is the first time the upgraded Leopard 2A7 has been sent on an international mission,” lieutenant colonel Kristian Kold said in the statement.

“And it is the first time we are sending a squadron with four-wheeled units and a total of 14 tanks on an international mission,” he said.

The mission has been planned for some time and aims to demonstrate Denmark’s solidarity with the Baltic states and Poland, according to the military.

A total of 160 Danish soldiers will take part in the British-led battalion to which the tanks are being sent.

“By sending soldiers and tanks to Estonia, we are taking part in managing one of Nato’s security challenges which is a result of Russia’s intensified presence in the Baltic region and the war in Ukraine,” Major General Gunner Arpe Nielsen, head of the army, said in the statement.

“Our skilled soldiers play an important role in securing Nato’s eastern flank,” Nielsen said.

The tanks are scheduled to initially be transported from West Jutland town Holstebro to a temporary military area at the port in Fredericia on Wednesday.

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