The first Ukrainian military personnel arrived in Germany for training on the Marder BMP
The first group of Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Germany to learn how to work with Marder infantry fighting vehicles, DW Telegram channel reports. The military arrived in Cologne on Thursday, and their training should begin soon, dpa reported citing sources in security circles. Training is part of military aid to Ukraine.
Earlier this month, a spring military aid package from Germany worth €1 billion was announced. This package will include 40 Marder BMPs, 7 Gepard air defense systems and an additional IRIS-T battery.
This was announced by the new Minister of Defense of Germany, Boris Pistorius, following the meeting of the Contact Group on Defense of Ukraine in Ramstein, Germany.
Then it was reported that Germany would send the Patriot system to Ukraine, 7 more Gepard anti-aircraft guns from industrial reserves, further Iris-T SLM systems and guided missiles for them. All this includes logistics and training of soldiers, Pistorius clarified, adding that training on BMP and Patriot will begin at the end of January.
Also, Germany agreed to provide Ukraine with Leopard 2 tanks – this was announced by the spokesman of the German government, Steffen Gebestreit, on January 25. The purpose, according to the report, is to quickly provide German tanks for two battalions. As a first step, Germany will provide 14 Leopard 2 tanks from Bundeswehr warehouses. Berlin will also provide logistics and ammunition.
In addition, according to RFE/RL, Germany will issue appropriate permits to partners who want to transfer Leopard 2 tanks from their own warehouses to Ukraine.
