Germany to deliver first 15 Gepard tanks to Ukraine in July to fight Russian invasion

To help Ukraine fight the Russian forces, Germany has decided to send 15 Gepard tanks to the war-torn country. On Friday, a defence ministry official in Berlin confirmed that Germany will transfer the first 15 Gepard tanks to Ukraine in July. The official noted that German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht had agreed to send the Gepard tanks through a video link with her Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, according to media reports.

The report suggests that the Gepard tanks will be equipped with "adequate" ammo. It was also announced that there was enough ammunition for nearly 100 combat loadings, with each loading capable of fighting 25 targets. Ukraine's demand for heavy weaponry has become louder since Moscow focused its military aggression on the country's east and south after failing to conquer Kyiv.

After opponents accused Berlin of holding on to heavy weapons transfers to Kyiv, Germany declared at the end of April that it will for the first time give heavy weapons to Ukraine, particularly Gepard air-defence tanks. Germany has since offered seven self-propelled howitzers to Kyiv and begun training Ukrainian troops.

Gepard is a flak tank with twin 35mm cannons

The Gepard is a flak tank with twin 35mm cannons that can shoot down planes and helicopters at altitudes of up to 3,500 meters. The tank was developed to resist armoured attack helicopters like the Soviet-Russian Mil Mi-24 and would be especially valuable to Ukrainian forces. Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the Gepard's manufacturer, has reconditioned old German military tanks, stating that there could be 50 Gepards available in total, according to DW News.

Germany pledges contribution to Ukraine's budget of €1 billion

On Thursday, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner pledged a contribution to Ukraine's budget of €1 billion. It was announced during a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries near Bonn, Germany. The G7 rotating presidency is currently held by Germany. Rather than taking out loans, the money will come from Germany's budget for 2022. Germany's goal is to aid Kyiv's war-damaged finances. Because tax revenues have been ravaged by Russia's conflict, the Ukrainian government is expected to require $15 million in the next three months to fund its operations, including paying workers.

Image: AP