Belgium to send 240 military trucks to Ukraine

Belgium’s Ministry of Defence is set to provide Ukraine with 240 military trucks, De Standaard said, Report informs via the Brussels Times.

The first vehicles are scheduled for delivery next week and will be used to ferry troops and equipment to the front in Ukraine’s east.

The Belgian army owns an array of Swedish-made Volvo trucks. In total, the army has a reserve of around 400 Volvo Cargo, Volvo Shelter, Volvo Fassi, and Volvo Manumat vehicles. This includes cargo models, lifting vehicles, and breakdown trucks.

These vehicles will be phased out and replaced with newer vehicles this year. The phasing out of the vehicles has been planned for several years, but their replacement has been “turbocharged” by the war in Ukraine, according to the Defence Material Resources Department. As such, the Belgian army can transfer the majority to the Ukrainian army.

These trucks have been in service since as early as 1992, but remain in good condition. All the vehicles are set to be inspected and refurbished where necessary before they are shipped to eastern Europe. The Belgian army will also send spare parts and instruction manuals for the trucks.

Volvo vehicles are known to be relatively simple to repair and maintain. Ukrainian mechanics and technicians will not need additional training to maintain the vehicles or carry out basic repairs.

Belgium has previously been accused of dumping “junk” on Ukraine. Many countries have used Russia’s war in Ukraine as an excuse to ship outdated equipment or liquidate their strategic reserve of Covid-19 equipment.

In addition to the vehicles, Belgium will deploy 100 instructors to train Ukrainian troops. Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder reaffirmed at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Wednesday that Belgium “will continue to provide all the support possible” to arming Ukraine.