The military repair plant in Nový Jičín will soon start repairing Ukrainian T-64 tanks.

The Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic announced this on Twitter.

The exact amount of equipment to be overhauled in the Czech Republic in the coming months is unknown.

The dates are not disclosed for security reasons, as after restoration and modernization, the tanks will immediately be sent to the battlefield.

The contract to repair and modernize T-64 tanks of the Ukrainian army was concluded based on a memorandum between the state enterprise VOP CZ and the Ukrainian Ukroboronprom State Concern, signed in February this year.

“The Czech Republic supports and will support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggressor. We provide surplus military materials, train Ukrainian soldiers, and now we also help to repair Ukrainian equipment,” said Jana Černochová, Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic.

“We offer our knowledge and skills in training and repair, and we also receive invaluable combat experience from Ukrainians,” Černochová added.

According to the published information, the agreement covers the restoration and modernization of T-64 tanks, which have been in storage for a long time.

“For VOP CZ, this is a great opportunity to repair equipment that will then go straight to the front,” said the company’s CEO Marek Špok.

He added that in recent weeks, the company’s employees visited Ukroboronprom factories in Ukraine to establish cooperation.

“In general, the modernization will be carried out under the technical supervision of experts from the Ukrainian side, with its direct participation. The tanks will be equipped with means of an optical surveillance system, improved communication, etc.,” explains Špok, adding that everything will take place under increased security measures.

“We are grateful to our Czech colleagues for the partnership and believe in great prospects for our cooperation. The agreements reached with VOP CZ are the implementation of the deal on the joint defense cluster creation with the Czech Republic, which Ukroboronprom and the Intergovernmental Defense Cooperation Agency (AMOS) concluded at the end of last year,” noted Yuriy Husiev, Chief Executive Officer at Ukroboronprom.

“Generally, the cooperation includes the production of military equipment, increasing the production of ammunition of various calibers, the development of service clusters for the maintenance and repair of anti-aircraft weapons, and cooperation in the field of high technologies, in particular, the creation of joint research centers,” Husev added.

This project is one of the first specific results of cooperation after the creation of the so-called defense cluster, which should support the development of new Czech-Ukrainian joint enterprises.

The defense cluster is planned to be used to increase the production of military equipment for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.