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Ukraine Seeks Decommissioned Italian Military Equipment to Strengthen Defense
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukraine has formally expressed interest in acquiring decommissioned military equipment from Italy. This request was highlighted in a recent discussion between Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, and Antonio Tajani, Italy’s Foreign Minister. Sybiha extended gratitude to Italy for its support and discussed expediting Italy’s next military aid package as well as enhancing Ukraine’s air defense.
Friendly call with @Antonio_Tajani. Thanked Italy for its strong G7 Presidency and support for Ukraine. Discussed the expediting of Italy’s next military aid package and the strengthening of Ukraine’s air shield. I also expressed our interest in decommissioned Italian equipment.
— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 12, 2024
According to Vishchun, Italy is home to one of the largest military storage bases, which has housed up to 3,000 pieces of equipment. Due to the vast number of hangars, providing an exact count is challenging.
Based on approximate estimates, the storage bases contain:
Between 300 and 700 Leopard 1 tanks
Up to 200 M-109 self-propelled artillery units
More than a hundred Centauro armored vehicles
Over 1,200 M-113 armored personnel carriers
-588fc0d7340a9d34caa666b77ee15bb5.jpg "Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev (R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (L) examine a sniper rifle while visiting a military base during combined military exercises on September 29, 2009, near Baranovichi, Belarus. (Source: Getty Images)")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")