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Ukraine to receive 18 Danish-funded Bohdana artillery units 'within months,' Copenhagen says

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Ukraine to receive 18 Danish-funded Bohdana artillery units 'within months,' Copenhagen says
Ukraine's domestically-produced Bohdana self-propelled howitzer (Ukraine’s Defense Ministry)

The first donation of 18 Ukrainian-made Bohdana artillery pieces financed by Denmark will be delivered within the coming months, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on July 10.

Denmark became the first country to offer to donate arms to Ukraine via direct purchases from the Ukrainian defense industry, as Kyiv's defense budget does not match the capacities of domestic weapons production.

"When I was in Ukraine this spring to visit a number of defense industry companies in Kyiv, I became convinced of the possibilities of supporting Ukraine through acquisitions directly via the Ukrainian defense industry," Poulsen said in a press release.

"In this way, we ensure that the equipment that the Ukrainians demand at the front can be produced and delivered close by. It provides some obvious logistical advantages while helping to build the defense industry in Ukraine."

Ukraine’s Bohdana howitzer is rolling off production lines – here’s what it can do
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a significant milestone in Ukraine’s push to increase domestic weapons production on April 18, saying that Kyiv was on track to produce 10 Bohdana howitzers this month. The Bohdana – or the 2S22 Bohdana to give it its full title – is a self-propelled howitzer,…
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Ukraine's Strategic Industries Minister Alexander Kamyshin said in May that Ukrainian companies could produce additional $10 billion worth of weaponry if financed.

Denmark was the first country to finalize such a deal with Ukraine, penning the relevant agreement in June. The U.S. $61 billion aid package for Kyiv is also expected to include $1.6 billion worth of Ukrainian weapons purchases.

The purchase of the Bohdana artillery units is the first step of the new Danish-Ukrainian agreement.

The 2S22 Bohdana is a self-propelled howitzer first presented in 2018, boasting high mobility, precision, and range. The weapon system has celebrated success during the full-scale war, playing a crucial role in the liberation of Snake Island in 2022.

The Bohdana was built specifically for NATO-standard 155 mm shells rather than Soviet-era 152 mm, underscoring the Ukrainian military's transition toward Western standards.

"I hope that more countries will follow the Danish model for procurement in Ukraine. The Ukrainians' opportunities to produce equipment are greater than the funding they have right now," Poulsen said.

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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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