Poland has become the first country that manages to materialize this delivery

This was the arrival of the first Leopard 2 in Ukraine: four tanks donated by Poland

The first Leopard 2 tanks have finally arrived in Ukraine today, as part of the multinational plan to supply modern tanks to the Ukrainian Army.

The more than 700 tanks donated to Ukraine by other countries: their numbers and models
Poland releases the first images of Ukrainians training with Leopard 2A4

The Prime Minister of Poland traveled to Ukraine today one year after the start of the current Russian invasion. Mateusz Morawiecki did not go empty-handed to kyiv: he took the opportunity to accompany the first Leopard 2s delivered to Ukraine: four Leopard 2A4s from the Polish Army.

This symbolic delivery of the first Leopard 2 by Poland confirms the firm support that that country has been giving to Ukraine. To date, Poland is the country that has delivered the most tanks to the Ukrainian Army. These deliveries are estimated to include more than 290 T-72M(R) and T-72M1(R) and 30 PT-91 Twardys, in addition to the Leopard 2A4s delivered today, the first of a batch that will be made up of 14 tanks of this type.

Polish Leopard 2A4s have arrived in Ukraine on flatbed trucks from a Ukrainian company. These tanks weigh 55 tons, are capable of reaching a speed of 68 km/h and have a range of 550 km. They are armed with a 120mm smoothbore Rheinmetall L44 main gun, a 7.62mm coaxial machine gun, and another 7.62mm machine gun next to the magazine hatch. Also, for passive defense, the tank carries 16 smoke grenade launchers in two eight-launcher mounts on either side of the turret.

The tanks have been received by the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, who stated: "We are grateful to Poland for the decisive steps that bring Ukraine closer to victory. We are waiting for the expansion of the tank coalition." The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, has had the opportunity to access the turret of one of the tanks, as we can see in this video:

In turn, Morawiecki has stated: "I came here today not only with words of support, but also knowing that this barbaric aggression must be met with force. We are the first European country to symbolically hand over the first four Leopard 2A4s" . The Prime Minister of Poland added: "For three decades, Europe lived in the belief that Russia could be appeased with money and normal cooperation with it. However, it is impossible cooperate normally with Russia. 365 days of war reminded us that Russia only listens to the language of strength and struggle."

Polish-delivered Leopard 2A4s bear erased Polish Army insignia and license plates. However, judging by the markings, everything indicates that they are tanks from the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade "Lieutenant General Stanisław Maczek", based in Świętoszów, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. 11 days ago we were able to see Ukrainian tankers training at the base of that Polish Brigade.

The soldiers who will man these tanks have been greeted by the Prime Ministers of Poland and Ukraine. The soldiers wore black uniforms with black berets.

The emblems on the Ukrainian tankers' berets, which include a rhinoceros, indicate that they are members of the 4th Independent Tank Brigade "Ivan Vyhovsky" of the Ukrainian Army, formed in 2017 as a reserve brigade and equipped with T-64 and T-72 tanks. This unit fought against the Russian invaders in the Battle of Kharkov between February and May of last year, and was subsequently deployed in the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk area, in the Donetsk region, and in Izyum, in the Kharkov region.

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Photos: Krystian Maj/Kancelaria Premiera.

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