MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. Moscow has denounced as a gross mistake the decision by North Macedonia to hand over T-72 tanks to Ukraine, saying it would only foster the Kiev regime’s criminal activity, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.
"We consider this (sending of tanks - TASS) a major mistake on the part of North Macedonia," she said.
"Being driven by the spirit of its allegiance to NATO, Skopje has been playing a role in pumping Ukraine with weapons, thus fostering the Kiev regime’s criminal activity against Donbass civilians," Zakharova emphasized. She warned "people who advocate democracy" against escalating things further.
On July 29, the Serbian National Television reported that North Macedonia’s Defense Ministry had confirmed the move to send T-72 tanks to Ukraine. The Macedonian top brass said "third-generation" tanks in service with a unit that would soon be dismantled had been given to Ukraine. It did not specify how many tanks had been donated.