Kiev is free to use donated Leopard tanks and other combat vehicles during its incursion into Kursk Region, Ottawa has said
Ukraine has been given approval to use Canadian-donated tanks and armored vehicles on Russian soil, according to a statement by Canada’s Department of National Defense on Thursday. Kiev is currently waging a large-scale incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region.
Ottawa has donated to Kiev a total of eight German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks as well several dozen armored combat vehicles, hundreds of armored patrol vehicles, and several M-777 howitzers. Last month, the Canadian government also announced an additional $367 million military aid package for Kiev.
“Ukrainians know best how to defend their homeland, and we’re committed to supporting their capacity,” Canadian Defense Department spokesperson Andree-Anne Pulin told the media on Thursday.
“Canada places no geographic restrictions on the use of military equipment that we donate to Ukraine,” Pulin added.
It is unclear how much, if any, donated Canadian equipment is currently being used in Kiev’s incursion into Kursk Region, which it launched on August 6, marking the largest Ukrainian cross-border offensive since the outbreak of the conflict in 2022.
Russia’s Defense Ministry has reported that the Ukrainian advance has since been halted and that Kiev has suffered considerable losses during the operation. Moscow has estimated that Ukraine has lost some 2,600 troops and hundreds of pieces of military hardware units, including 37 tanks and 32 armored personnel carriers since the start of the offensive.
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