Marjan Šarec, Minister of Defense of Slovenia, announced Slovenia’s intentions to join the EUMAM mission of the European Union designed for the training of Ukrainian servicemen.

The country will also assist with the treatment of wounded Ukrainians.

The Head of the Slovenian Defense Ministry, together with a delegation, arrived in Kyiv on Monday, where he spoke with his Ukrainian colleague Oleksii Reznikov about supporting Ukraine in resisting the Russian aggression, European Pravda reports.

The conversation between the Slovak and Ukrainian sides focused on the current situation at the front and the consequences of Russia’s systematic destruction of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure.

At the last meeting, the Slovenian government decided to deploy up to 30 of its representatives to the EUMAM training mission for the Ukrainian military with the possibility of rotation.

Military personnel of the Armed Forces of Slovenia, along with civilian experts, will participate in individual, collective and specialized training of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of the member states of the European Union, and will perform the command and staff task of the mission.

Slovenia is known to have been helping Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, providing humanitarian aid and demining equipment, and taking in the Ukrainian refugees.

The country also provided Ukraine with military aid, in particular, 35 M80A infantry fighting vehicles and 28 M-55S tanks.

М-80А

The M-80 infantry fighting vehicle was developed in Yugoslavia in the late 70s. This infantry fighting vehicle with a combat weight of 13,850 kg is equipped with a Hispano-Suiza HS.804 20mm autocannon. It has an effective range of about 1500 meters and ammunition of 400 shells. The M-80A is equipped with a 315 hp Daimler-Benz engine, which has been produced by FAMOS under license since 1980.

М-55S

This is an upgraded version of the outdated Soviet T-55 tanks. This modernization was made jointly by the Slovenian STO RAVNE and the Israeli Elbit. During this work, 30 tanks were modernized.

During the modernization, a new 105mm L7 gun with a thermal sleeve was installed. The tanks were equipped with reactive armor. The fire control system was improved by installing a digital ballistic computer. The gun is stabilized in two axes, and a new Fotona SGS-55 sight with a laser rangefinder was installed.

The tank also received a new Fotona COMTOS-55 commander’s sight with an independent line of sight stabilization. It allows tracking targets and even carrying out gun guidance regardless of the gunner.