As part of international cooperation on Leopard armored vehicles, Finland will hand over three Leopard 2R heavy mine breaching vehicle to Ukraine, as well as provide training related to their use and maintenance.

Finland’s Ministry of Defense reported this.

The President of Finland approved this decision on February 23, 2023, with the submission of the Government. It will become the 13th military equipment package for Ukraine.

The total value of this assistance package is over €160 million.

Finland notes that they developed this package with regard to the needs of Ukraine and its military.

Previously, the Government and President of Finland have repeatedly discussed the supply of German-made Leopard 2 tanks and other defense equipment to Ukraine, but the decision on tanks has not yet been made.

Sanna Marin, the country’s Prime Minister, stressed that Finland is somewhat different than other countries because it directly borders Russia. This must be taken into account, as Finland should take care of their own defense.

Leopard 2R

Leopard 2R is a heavy mine breaching vehicle manufactured by Patria. It was developed for the Finnish army, taking Leopard 2A4 tanks as the base. Ten of these tanks were converted by the order Finnish Defense Ministry.

They are equipped with mine plows, a bulldozer bucket, and an automated marking system.

The tank is also armed with a NSVT 12.7mm heavy machine gun for protection. The crew consists of two people: the driver and the commander.

Sweden is also considering the possibility of transferring a certain number of its Stridsvagn 122 tanks, a version of Leopard 2A5, to Ukraine.

The country is preparing another aid package for Ukraine to help the country fight off the Russian invasion.