Germany is “frantic” looking for 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) that it promised to deliver to Ukraine. the magazine writes about it Spiegel.
“(German Chancellor Olaf) Scholz promised 40 Marder to Kiev – now the federal government is fervently looking for the promised infantry fighting vehicles,” the article says.
As the publication noted, when the decision of Berlin to supply these infantry fighting vehicles to Kiev became known, the military, politicians and security experts began to wonder where the German side plans to buy the promised equipment. It is noted that on 6 January, German Cabinet representative Steffen Hebeshtreit promised to answer the question “within one day”, but there was no response.
In Spiegel’s assessment, Scholz’s words “are not that easy to put into practice.” According to the publication, the German defense concern Rheinmetall has in its stocks about 60 defective Marder infantry fighting vehicles, but modernizing them will take a lot of time.
“As the federal government plans to deliver 40 Marder to Ukraine by the end of March to equip the Ukrainian battalion, the military must provide most of the military aid from its own stocks,” the material says.
Steffen Hebestreit, former German government spokesman declarationIt is reported that the Marder infantry fighting vehicles promised to Ukraine will be ready for delivery in the first quarter of this year.
Currently, a special operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is underway in Ukraine. It was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24. According to him, the purpose of military action is to demilitarize the neighboring country and to navy the authorities.
The decision to run the operation became the justification for new sanctions against Russia by the United States and its allies.