Germany sends 200 restored tanks to Kyiv

GERMANY yesterday approved the export of almost 200 older Leopard 1 battle tanks to further bolster Kyiv’s defences.

The vehicles, manufactured in the 1960s, are expected to be gradually shipped to Ukraine after they have undergone significant refurbishment.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, warned more Western military support was needed to defeat an expected Russian offensive that could be launched in just a few weeks.

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s defence minister, said yesterday that tanks supplied by Nato allies would serve as an “iron fist” to break through Russia’s rigid defences.

Flensburger Fahrzeugbau Gesellschaft, a German arms manufacturer, said it had 99 of the battle tanks in storage that could be made available to Ukraine’s armed forces, while Rheinmetall said it had 88 available.

It came as France and Italy agreed to send mobile surface-to-air missile systems yesterday. The systems, called MAMBA or SAMP/T, are a vehicle-mounted battery of medium-range missiles to offer protection from airborne threats such as missiles and manned or unmanned aircraft.