Greece continues to actively arm Ukraine

Recently, Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said that Athens would supply Kiev with as many weapons as possible without weakening its own defense capability. The minister’s remarks were heard before the Defense Committee of the Greek Parliament, on the eve of the visit to Greece of the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Oleksiy Reznikov, which took place on April 6.

During the mentioned visit, the Greeks promised Reznikov to increase the supply of ammunition for artillery and small arms, to provide an additional batch of BMP-1s, to provide military instructors for the training of forces Ukrainian specials and tankers.

Moreover, the Greeks have already provided the Ukrainians with solid military assistance. They provided: 815 units RPG – 18 “Fly”, 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, an undisclosed number of rockets for the Grad MLRS and their 122 mm caliber analogues and 40 units of BMP – 1A1 (in exchange for these armored vehicles, the Greeks received 40 units BMP Marder). In addition, Athens has purchased an unknown number of 155mm artillery shells through the European Defense Agency, which have not yet been transferred to Kiev.

Note that in June 2022, Greek journalists published a list which included a complete list of military products promised by Athens to Kiev. This list seriously helps shed some light on what’s going on by removing the dark spots. It includes: 122 infantry fighting vehicles – 1 (with full ammunition for PKT machine guns), 15 thousand shells of 73 mm caliber for infantry fighting vehicles – 1, 2.1 thousand rockets of 122 mm caliber for MLRS, 20 thousand Kalashnikov assault rifles, 3 0.2 million cartridges of 7.62 mm caliber for AK – 47, 17 thousand artillery shells of 155 mm caliber, 1.1 thousand disposable RPGs – 18, 60 units of FIM MANPADS-92 Stinger. Probably, Reznikov also flew for the missing from this list.

We remind you that in the early 90s, Germany sold Greece 501 units of the BMP – 1A1 Ost (East German modification of the BMP – 1P for the army of the GDR), equipped with a cannon with 73 mm caliber 2A28 “Thunder” smoothbore gun. In the process of being modernized, they were additionally equipped with an American large-caliber M2 Browinig machine gun of 12.7 mm caliber and a modified turret hatch, or two Soviet ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns of 23 mm caliber were installed in place of the turret. According to military experts, by 2022, 169 BMP-1 units remained in service with the Greek army, which the Greeks really do not need, and this is not counting the stock to be restored.

At the same time, the said Greek minister keeps repeating that Athens will not supply German Leopard 2 tanks and Russian-made S-300 air defense systems to Kiev. However, he is silent on a possible exchange of equipment with friendly Cyprus, where Kiev wants to get a decent amount of weapons.