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MILITARY

Denmark to send decommissioned tanks to Ukraine

Denmark is to send Leopard 1A5 tanks which it had taken out of service to Ukraine, as part of donations to be made by several countries.

Denmark to send decommissioned tanks to Ukraine
I en uge har Jyske Dragonregiments panserbataljon været vært for den internationale kampvognskonkurrence Nordic Tank Challenge 2017 med Leopard 2A5 kampvogne. Formålet er at finde den bedste kampvognsbesætning og i år har 5 nationer, Danmark, Sverige, Norge, Canada, Tyskland og USA deltaget i øvelsen i Oksbøl. Med til finalen torsdag d. 18. maj var en dansk og to norske besætninger. Finalen blev overværet af HKH Prins Joachim. Her kører en af kampvognene i stilling. (Foto: Henning Bagger/Scanpix 2017)

Tanks previously used by the Danish military are to be prepared and sent to Ukraine, broadcaster DR reported on Tuesday.

No specific number for the total number of tanks has been confirmed and the participating countries not specified.

But a three-figure number of older models could be donated once contributions from all countries are added up, according to the report.

A newer version of the tank, the Leopard 2 model, is currently used by the Danish military.

Denmark’s old Leopard 1A5 tanks were sold in 2010 to company FFG in northern German town Flensburg, where they are still located, DR reports.

The tanks are expected to be sent to Ukraine in the coming months.

Media in Denmark including broadcaster TV2 last week reported that 99 Danish Leopard tanks could be sent to Ukraine.

The Danish tanks were originally used during the war in the Balkans in 1994.

A director with the German company told TV2 that there had been contact with the Danish government over the tanks.

“I wouldn’t call it negotiations but we have spoken about the tanks and what we can do,” the sales director, Thorsten Peter, said.

The tanks are not currently ready for active duty and must undergo work before being used, according to Peter.

Member comments

  1. Another shameful Western (and smart) self-fulfiulling move. But militarily an absolute crock.
    1- It reduces the massive storage costs.
    2- It removes the burden of havgin to destroy them according to Danish and EU .Environmental law.
    3- It artificially offsets and adds to Denmark’s “Ukraine support budget”
    4- Politically it’s a win. It buys time and saves money. The headlines just will read Denmark is supporting Ukraine with military hardware. No one will remember the second paragraph of how much of a burden and sham these tanks are.

    happy anniversary, Russia!

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MILITARY

Denmark boosts Ukraine military aid by 4.4 billion kroner

Denmark's government is to add 4.4 billion kroner ($630 million) for military aid to its Ukraine aid fund as Kyiv pleads Western allies for more support against Russia's invasion.

Denmark boosts Ukraine military aid by 4.4 billion kroner

The fund was set up to distribute aid to Ukraine between 2023 and 2028, with the latest commitment bringing the total of military aid Denmark has pledged to 64.8 billion kroner.

“Denmark has since the start of the war been one of the most active donor nations,” Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement.

“We will continue to do so and therefore I am pleased that a large majority of the parties of the Folketing (Denmark’s parliament) are supporting us adding a further 4.4 billion kroner for military aid in 2024 to the Ukraine fund.”

The government listed previous aid supplied to Ukraine, such as artillery pieces and ammunition, missiles, tanks, drones and anti-air systems.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s defence minister says threat from Russia calls for more military spending

It said the purpose of the fund would be to continue to supply “direct military support to Ukraine in the form of among other things weapons, other military equipment and training programmes”.

Denmark, one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, signed a 10-year security agreement with Ukraine at the end of February, following similar agreements between Kyiv and Berlin, London and Paris.

It is the fourth largest donor of military aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion, according to the German-based Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

The announcement comes after US President Joe Biden signed a bill providing $61 billion in military and economic aid to Kyiv — after it was passed by Congress following months of negotiations.

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