[사진 출처 = 연합뉴스]The Wall Street Journal reported on the 5th that it was confirmed that the Czech Republic had secretly provided tanks to Ukraine following the Russian invasion on February 24 (local time).
According to the WSJ, the tanks that the Czech Republic provided to Ukraine were regarding 10 T-72Ms, which were modified tanks designed by the former Soviet Union. The Czech Republic also sent the Soviet-developed amphibious infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1 and howitzer to Ukraine.
Since the start of the war, the international community has sent anti-tank missiles and drones to Ukraine, but the Czech Republic is the first to support tanks.
In fact, on the 13th of last month, the US approved support for Daejeonchi Javelin and anti-aircraft Stinger missiles worth 240 billion won, but there were no tanks or fighters in them.
Germany also supplied anti-tank weapons support and missiles, but tanks and fighters were also missing. This is also the case for most of the EU and NATO member states, such as the UK and Estonia.
Ukraine has continuously requested the international community to provide weapons such as tanks and fighters in response to the invasion of Russia with its overwhelming military power.
In response, Poland once considered replacing the air gap with an American F-16 instead of sending all of its MiG-29s to Ukraine, but it was rejected by the United States.
This is because of fears of an escalation of war, saying that Russia considers it to be part of the war if it provides fighters to Ukraine.
It is reported that the Czech Republic is considering not only tank support but also support for maintenance of various military equipment at military facilities located on the Ukrainian border with Slovakia.
The Czech Republic is geographically separated from Ukraine by its borders with Poland to the north and Slovakia to the east.
Therefore, if you want to apply for tanks or military equipment to Ukraine, you have to go through Slovakia or Poland.
The WSJ analyzed that if military equipment maintenance support is achieved, it will be of great help to Ukraine’s weapons operations.
This is because not only the various equipment currently possessed by the Ukrainian army, but also the Russian weapons captured during battle can be used more smoothly.
Ukraine is said to have seized 176 Russian tanks, 116 armored fighting vehicles and 149 infantry fighting vehicles. In addition, it is estimated that a considerable number of weapons were discarded following the recent withdrawal of the Russian army from the north.
The Czech Ministry of Defense said, “The cost of supporting Ukraine’s weapons comes from government funding and fundraising from Czech private donors.”
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