Denmark to send decommissioned Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine

By Ebad Ahmed

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AA) - Denmark announced Tuesday that it will donate decommissioned Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine as Russia’s war intensifies, local media reported.

The refurbished battle tanks will be shipped to Ukrainian forces as part of donations by Western countries following an appeal by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

While no specific number of decommissioned tanks or participating donor countries have been confirmed yet, it is expected that Denmark will send as many as hundreds of the older German-made tanks for Ukrainian forces.

The donated tanks are no longer in use by Danish forces and were sold to a German company in 2010. The tanks are currently stationed in Flensburg, Germany.

The tanks, which were used in 1994 in Bosnia against Serbian forces in Operation Bollebank, are expected to arrive in Ukraine in the coming months.

Denmark separately also committed to donate 19 French-made Caesar howitzer artillery systems to Ukraine. ​​​​​​​

"We have been in continuous contact with the Ukrainians about the Caesar artillery in particular, and I am happy that we have now received broad support from the Danish parliament to donate it to Ukraine's freedom struggle," Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said in a statement following a high-level defense meeting.