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Lithuania repairing Leopard tanks damaged in Ukraine

by Dinara Khalilova and The Kyiv Independent news desk October 17, 2023 5:22 PM 1 min read

A Ukrainian tank crew receives training on the maintenance of Leopard 1A5 main battle tanks at a military training ground of the Bundeswehr on May 05, 2023 near Klietz, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

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Lithuania's military has started repairing German-made Leopard tanks damaged on Ukraine's front lines, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry reported on Oct. 17.

"Tanks will be returned to the battlefield once their technical capability is restored," the ministry wrote on X (formerly Twitter). It didn't specify how many vehicles are being repaired in the country.

Earlier, Lithuania repaired and returned to Ukraine German-provided PzH2000 Howitzers damaged in action.

Lithuanian specialists also trained the first group of 18 Ukrainian mechanics to repair the howitzers, "which lose their technical characteristics due to intensive use," according to the country's military.

Poland has also been repairing German-made Leopard battle tanks used in Ukraine. On Oct. 2, the Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) announced that Kyiv had received the first package of Leopard 2 tanks after the repairs.

According to Forbes, only five of Ukraine's Leopard 2 tanks have been destroyed during the ongoing counteroffensive as of Aug. 28. The losses reportedly occurred in the early weeks of the counteroffensive on the southern front line near the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Authors: Dinara Khalilova, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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