0 out of 25,000

Quality journalism takes work — and a community that cares.
Help us reach 25,000 members by the end of 2025.

News Feed

German minister: Ukrainian soldiers start training on Leopard 1 tanks

1 min read

Over 100 Ukrainian service personnel have started training on Leopard 1 battle tanks this week, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Spanish publication La Vanguardia.

The delivery of 80 Leopard tanks of the older model will begin in the second half of 2023, the minister said in an interview published on April 28.

Germany has already delivered 18 modern Leopard 2 tanks and around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine, confirmed Pistorius.

Earlier, Pistorius told Die Welt that NATO countries planned to send two battalions of German Leopard 2 battle tanks and four battalions of Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine.

The 160 tanks account for roughly half the 300 tanks requested by Ukraine for its expected spring/summer counteroffensive.

Defense Minister: ‘Tank coalition’ meets at Ramstein, agrees to open service center for Leopard tanks
Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed
Video

As Russia bombards Ukraine with Shahed drones almost every night, the 12th Army Aviation Brigade takes to the skies in decades-old helicopters to intercept them. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post joined the pilots to understand how they fly, maneuver, and shoot down drones in darkness — and what keeps them going.

Show More