Poland Has Handed Over the First Refurbished Leopard-2 Tanks to Ukraine

Ukraine has received the first Leopard-2 tanks repaired at the Polish Bumar-Labendy plant from Poland.

This was reported by the Polish defence state-owned concern Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa on the social network X.

"While others make future statements, we take action by consulting with the Ukrainian side. The first Leopard tanks, specially refurbished at the Bumar-Labedy factory, were received by the Ukrainian side. Work on the next machines is ongoing," the statement said.

It is worth noting that the intention to establish a service and repair center for Leopard battle tanks in Poland was announced in the spring of this year, during the 11th meeting of defense ministers of participating countries in the Ramstein format.

At that time, the agreement was signed between three parties: Germany, Poland, and Ukraine. It was expected that the hub could start operating at the end of May 2023, with a cost estimate of approximately 150-200 million euros.

The center for repair and maintenance, transferred by allies for Ukraine's military equipment, only began operating in July. The center was established on the basis of a repair plant in Gliwice in southern Poland.

The appearance of the center was preceded by several months of negotiations between Poland and Germany. Some German media reported that the dialogue process was "tense," partly due to what seemed to be Poland's high financial demands.

According to Spiegel, the Polish defense company PGZ requested over 100,000 euros for diagnosing tanks, while in Germany, such work was estimated at around 12,000 euros, according to the publication. However, the parties eventually reached a compromise.

It is worth recalling that the chairman of the board of the Armament Consortium, Armin Papperger, stated in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that there were plans to repair tanks on the territory of Ukraine, noting that the country "has well-equipped tank plants dating back to Soviet times."

It is also worth noting that it was recently announced that ten Stridsvagn 122 combat tanks, upgraded versions of the Leopard 2, along with prepared crews, arrived from Sweden to Ukraine.

"We have provided them with everything we could - excellent equipment and knowledge. We wish them all the best and success in liberating their country," said Mats Ludvig, commander of operations at the Swedish Army's Land Forces headquarters.

It is also worth reminding that at the end of September, it became known that the first few M1 Abrams tanks from the United States, promised by the Biden administration in January of this year, had arrived in Ukraine. It is expected that several more tanks of this type will arrive in Ukraine in the near future.