Media: Spain to deliver first Leopard tanks to Ukraine after Easter

Spain will send six out of ten Leopard 2A4 tanks it has pledged to Ukraine right after Easter, Spanish news outlet El Pais reported on March 29, citing its sources in the government.

The exact date of the tanks’ delivery is unknown. Catholic Easter will be celebrated on April 9 this year.

According to the publication, the first six German-made main battle tanks had already been repaired at a factory near the Spanish city of Seville. They are now performing fire exercises at the Cerro Muriano range in southern Spain.

After receiving combat certification, they will be transferred by sea to Poland and then handed over to the Ukrainian authorities, the El Pais wrote.

Four more Leopard 2A4 tanks promised by the Spanish government are scheduled to arrive at the Seville plant this week, the El Pais’ sources said.

However, the condition of the second batch is worse than that of the first six tanks, so their repair will likely take longer and cost more, they added.

On March 23, Spain’s Defense Ministry said it would transfer the first six Leopard 2 tanks by the end of the following week.

Initially, Spain promised to hand over six of its German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine but then increased its commitment to ten combat vehicles.

Reuters reported on March 13 that fifty-five Ukrainian soldiers had completed training on Leopards in Spain.

Spain is part of an international coalition that has promised to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine after Berlin greenlighted their delivery. The coalition members Poland, Germany, Norway, and Portugal have already delivered modern combat tanks to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s state defense conglomerate UkrOboronProm transformed into stock company

The long-running drama over the reform of UkrOboronProm, Ukraine’s problematic state-owned defense production giant, is seeing a new round amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion of the country. On March 21, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers issued a decree initiating the conglomerate’s transformati…

Kyiv IndependentIllia Ponomarenko