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Czechia Retires Soviet-Era Tanks, Sends Final T-72M1s to Ukraine

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Czechia Retires Soviet-Era Tanks, Sends Final T-72M1s to Ukraine
A column of Slovak T-72M1 tanks in 2005. (Source: Armedconflicts)

Czechia has officially delivered the last of its operable T-72M1 tanks to Ukraine, marking the end of their service within the Czech Army, Czech outlet Hospodářské noviny reported on April 8.

The final shipment of approximately 20 tanks was transferred in late March and early April 2025. These units had previously belonged to Czechia’s 73rd Tank Battalion, which now awaits delivery of modern Leopard 2 tanks from Germany to replenish its armored capabilities.

“I can only say that there is not a single T-72M1 left on the base,” a source familiar with the 7th Brigade told the outlet.

Czechia inherited 86 T-72M1 tanks after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia , some of which were upgraded to the T-72M4CZ variant.

Others remained in their original configuration, with several units held in long-term reserve until they were reactivated and sent to Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

This delivery concludes Czechia’s use of Soviet-designed tanks as the country undertakes a sweeping modernization of its armored forces. Under a broader defense strategy aimed at bolstering national security and aligning with NATO standards, Czechia is replacing outdated Soviet-era models with advanced German Leopard 2A4 and Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks.

The Leopard 2A8s are part of a strategic procurement project and are scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2029. Meanwhile, the 73rd Tank Battalion is being re-equipped to meet NATO interoperability standards and will also include a support platoon outfitted with German-supplied Buffel armored recovery vehicles.

According to the Ministry of Defense, continued modernization of the T-72 platform was deemed unfeasible due to its structural limitations. Transitioning to Western-designed systems, officials say, offers significantly enhanced battlefield performance and future scalability.

Earlier, Czech Minister of Defense, Jana Černochová, stated that the country’s exports of military equipment to Ukraine increased by at least one-third in 2024.

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Czechoslovakia was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918 when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland became part of Nazi Germany, while the country lost further territories to Hungary and Poland (the territories of southern Slovakia with a predominantly Hungarian population to Hungary and Zaolzie with a predominantly Polish population to Poland). Between 1939 and 1945, the state ceased to exist, as Slovakia proclaimed its independence and Carpathian Ruthenia became part of Hungary, while the German Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was proclaimed in the remainder of the Czech Lands. In 1939, after the outbreak of World War II, former Czechoslovak President Edvard Beneš formed a government-in-exile and sought recognition from the Allies. After World War II, Czechoslovakia was reestablished under its pre-1938 borders, except Carpathian Ruthenia, which became part of the Ukrainian SSR (a republic of the Soviet Union). The Communist Party seized power in a coup in 1948. From 1948 to 1989, Czechoslovakia was part of the Eastern Bloc with a planned economy. Its economic status was formalized in membership of Comecon from 1949 and its defense status in the Warsaw Pact of 1955. In 1989, as Marxist–Leninist governments and communism were ending all over Central and Eastern Europe, Czechoslovaks peacefully deposed their communist government during the Velvet Revolution, which began on 17 November 1989 and ended 11 days later on 28 November when all of the top Communist leaders and Communist party itself resigned. On 31 December 1992, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into the two sovereign states of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.