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Ukraine to Service Leopard Tanks and Marder IFVs as Rheinmetall Expands Operations

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Ukraine to Service Leopard Tanks and Marder IFVs as Rheinmetall Expands Operations
A group of Ukrainian military mechanics are trained to repair German artillery howitzers PzH 2000 in the Lithuanian Artillery battalion of General Romuald Giedraitis in Rukla, Lithuania, on December 19, 2022. (Source: Getty Images)

Germany’s Rheinmetall will establish a repair center in Ukraine for German-made tanks and artillery, the company’s CEO, Armin Papperger, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle on March 4.

Papperger confirmed that logistical routes are currently being developed to ensure a fast and efficient supply of spare parts to the facility.

The repair center will service infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) Marder, as well as Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 tanks and German-made artillery systems.

Turrets of armored infantry fighting vehicles Marder are inspected and repaired at the facility of German armaments company and automotive supplier Rheinmetall in Unterluess, northern Germany, on June 6, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)
Turrets of armored infantry fighting vehicles Marder are inspected and repaired at the facility of German armaments company and automotive supplier Rheinmetall in Unterluess, northern Germany, on June 6, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)

According to Papperger, the repair operations in Ukraine are expected to begin in the coming months.

At present, damaged German equipment used by Ukraine is sent abroad for repairs.

Lithuania has been handling the restoration of Panzerhaubitze 2000 artillery systems at a Rheinmetall facility.

Technicians of German armaments company and automotive supplier Rheinmetall assemble a Leopard 2A4 battle tank that gets maintenance at the facility of Rheinmetall in Unterluess, northern Germany, on June 6, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)
Technicians of German armaments company and automotive supplier Rheinmetall assemble a Leopard 2A4 battle tank that gets maintenance at the facility of Rheinmetall in Unterluess, northern Germany, on June 6, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)

Ukrainian Leopard 2 tanks have been undergoing repairs at Lithuania Defense Services (LDS)—a joint enterprise set up by Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann in June 2022.

Earlier, Papperger noted that decades of underinvestment in defense have left European nations “at the kids’ table” in discussions about Ukraine’s future.

“If you don’t invest, if you’re not strong, they handle you like kids. It was very convenient for the Europeans over the last 30 years to say, OK, spend 1 percent [of GDP on defense], it’s fine,” Papperger said.

The Chief added that if parents have dinner, the kids have to sit at another table.

“The U.S. is negotiating with Russia and no European is at the table—it has become very clear that the Europeans are the kids,” he added.

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