Germany to establish materiel repair hub in Slovakia to help Ukrainian army
German self-propelled howitzer PzH 2000 (Photo:Arvydas Anusauskas/Facebook)
Germany has decided to create a maintenance center in Slovakia to repair military equipment transferred to Ukraine to fight Russian invasion forces, German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht announced on Nov. 15, reports Reuters.
"We have reached agreement, and work can start immediately so that all the equipment which has been supplied (to Kyiv) can be repaired after coming out of battle," Lambrecht said before a meeting in Brussels with her colleagues from the European Union.
The official also added that Germany plans to train about 5,000 Ukrainian servicemen as part of an EU training mission. It is planned to be implemented by June 2023.
Berlin has been supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, providing financial and military assistance to Kyiv.
During a regular “Ramstein format” meeting on Oct. 12, the German Ministry of Defense reported that in the next few weeks Ukraine will receive additional MARS II multiple launch rocket systems and PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery systems. The Ramstein military aid meetings are named after the U.S. Air Base in Germany where the first one was held.
In total, Ukraine has already received five MARS II MLRS and 14 PzH 2000 howitzers within the framework of a joint project with the Netherlands. The report also says that Berlin has handed over two surface drones to Kyiv and is preparing to hand over 6,100 155 mm Ariel rounds and 186,000 rounds for 40 mm grenade launchers.
Germany also provided Ukraine with IRIS-T air defense systems.
In early October, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the defense sector is creating a three-level system of repair and restoration of military equipment involved in combat operations in Ukraine.
The first two levels will be carried out on the territory of Ukraine.
The third level provides for the completion of units, electronics repair, and other maintenance of equipment. Such work will be carried out at the enterprises of Ukraine's partner countries, in particular in Poland, the Czech Republic, or Slovakia.
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