It is expected that from Thessaloniki, 20 Soviet BMP-1s of the Greek army will be sent by rail to Ukraineto support the efforts of the Ukrainian army to return the Russian-held territories of the country. To replace them, Greece will initially receive 20 Marder vehicles from Germany, which, if possible, will be put on parade in 28 of October. Another 20 cars are already ready for the exchange, which will take place in the second stage.

At the same time, this circular exchange of armored fighting vehicles with Berlin, announced on September 16 by the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his German counterpart Christine Lambrechtremains a source of concern for opposition parties.

Destination “Marters” – Evros borders, as they will join the motorized groups of the 4th Army Corps, which is responsible for guarding the land lines in the area. The government sees the Marders as a clear upgrade as they are more modern and more compatible with the existing Leopard tanks on Evros compared to the Soviet IFVs acquired in 1994 from East German stocks.

The opposition has a different point of view, expressed by the former Minister of National Defense and former head of GEETHA, Evangelos Apostolakis. “A vacuum should not be created in the defense and not only on the islands,” he notes, emphasizing that any replacement of containment materials should be carried out by vehicles of appropriate capabilities, taking into account their qualifications, armor and equipment.

He also talked about the many difficulties in replenishing forces in the Aegean. While the withdrawal of IFVs from the islands hastened the reinforcement of Lesvos and Samos with US-made M1117 armored personnel carriers that the country received under the American system of surplus military equipment, in the current tense conditions, the fact is that Turkey took advantage of its September 26 move.

Mr. Apostolakis also cited the example of the Czech Republic, which had a circular exchange with Germany, pointing out that the replacement process could take a long time. The Czech Republic, the former minister explains, has sent Soviet-made T-72 tanks to Ukraine but has yet to receive the agreed Leopard tanks from Germany, with the latest updates pointing towards the end of the year. Mr. Apostolakis emphasizes that the Czech Republic is not threatened as directly as Greece.

However, as mentioned above, the government believes that the first Marders will be able to take part in the October 28th parade, giving a much shorter exchange schedule.

“Greece must advance the diplomatic peace plan,” stresses SYRIZA Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrugalos, also expressing his side’s more general opposition to the sending of the material. The official opposition believes that Greece should continue to support Ukraine, but within a broader European structure, perhaps much more autonomous than that of the United States, with an emphasis on diplomacy rather than sending military equipment.

PASOK is in favor of sending military equipment to Ukraine, but when a circular exchange with Germany for armored vehicles was announced, it expressed both in its statements and in parliament the desire for the government to communicate more details about the agreement at the level of political leaders.

The KKE called on the government to seek a way out of the war in Ukraine. The dispatch of military equipment and the presence of US bases in Greece “multiply the risks and put our people in great danger,” Perissos said in a related statement.