PRAGUE, July 3. /TASS/. The Czech Republic has transferred to Ukraine military equipment and ammunition from its own arsenals worth 6.75 billion korunas (about $288.4 million) between February 2022 and May 2024, the country’s Defense Ministry said.
According to the ministry, Ukraine has received from the Czech Republic eight aircraft, two of which supplied this year, as well as 94,860 artillery shells from its reserves, including 10,000 pieces this year. Prague also provided Kiev with 62 tanks, 131 infantry fighting vehicles, 26 chemical reconnaissance vehicles, 16 air defense systems, 13 howitzers, 12 multiple rocket launchers, as well as various types of ammunition and small arms that were in operational service of the Czech army, the ministry said.
Addressing the Munich Security Conference on February 17, Czech President Petr Pavel said that the republic had found a possibility to purchase hundreds of thousands of artillery shells for the Ukrainian army in third countries if funds were available. About 20 states have joined this initiative. As of the end of May, alone Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and Portugal had fulfilled their financial obligations under the Czech initiative to provide ammunition to Ukraine.
In April, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that 500,000 shells for Kiev had been found within the framework of the initiative. On June 25, the Czech authorities reported that the first aid delivery to Ukraine had been made with the mediation of Germany. The Ukrainian armed forces received tens of thousands of artillery shells of 155 mm caliber. Last week, the Czech government allocated $37 million within the initiative.