A new video posted on social media shows a convoy of Turkish 4×4 Kirpi armored vehicles on the streets of Ukraine, days after a train loaded with dozens of military vehicles that Turkey supplies to Ukrainian forces was filmed passing through Bacau train station. Ukraine Weapons Tracker notes an interesting thing: the Turkish armored vehicles that arrived in Ukraine are allegedly equipped with Romanian Pro Optica “Anubis” turrets.

“Images of the latest batch of Turkish Kirpi MRAPs delivered to Ukrainian forces, but they are particularly interesting because they are equipped with Romanian Pro Optica ANUBIS RCWS turrets, equipped with a 12.7mm or 7.62mm machine gun, including a thermal imaging camera,” writes Ukraine. Weapon tracker.

A train carrying dozens of Turkish 4×4 BMC Kirpi armored vehicles was filmed on January 4th as it passed through the Bacau railway station, most likely heading to Ukraine, where a batch of 50 such vehicles has already been delivered since the summer, and the Ukrainians are waiting for more to be transferred.

In the summer, Ukraine received the first batch of Turkish BMC Kirpi 4×4 armored vehicles, and since then the Ukrainian press has stated that the Kyiv forces will be waiting for the delivery of 150 more such vehicles.

BMC Kirpi 4×4 armored personnel carriers were successfully used in combat operations, especially during the offensive of Ukrainian troops on Kherson in early September.

Kirpi armored vehicles are of the MRAP type (mine-resistant armored car with ambush protection), have a typical weight of about 20 tons, are produced in 4×4 versions and can carry up to 13 passengers. Tanks can be armed with 7.62 or 12.7 mm machine guns and have STANAG 4569 level 3a protection.

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine announced that he had signed a contract with Romania

In a special program broadcast by Ukrainian TV channels and intercepted by the Interfax-Ukraine agency at the end of December 2022, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, emphasized that the country has signed numerous contracts with other states regarding the disposal of weapons in the coming months.

“The American military industry is already up and running. That is, one of the key topics of every meeting within the framework of the “Ramstein format” (as the meetings of the Defense Group of Ukraine with other states are called) is the realization of the capabilities of the countries that support Ukraine in this war. , – said the Ukrainian minister.

At the moment, “orders have already been placed, and not only in the USA, but also in Germany, France, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania and other countries,” he emphasized.

The Minister of Economy of Romania rejected this claim

On December 27, Economy Minister Florin Spataru rejected claims about the supply of weapons to Ukraine, saying that the institution he heads has no current contracts for equipment or ammunition produced in Romania.

“These are statements of some officials that I do not know about. I can tell you that the Ministry of Economy does not know anything about direct contracts between Romanian companies and Ukrainian companies or authorities. These statements related to potential supplies of these products, this, from my point of view, statements that are not properly substantiated. At the Ministry of Economy, we currently do not have current contracts for equipment or ammunition produced in Romania,” Spataru said on Tuesday in Craiova, responding to questions about the statements of some Russian officials regarding the supply of arms to Ukraine since the beginning of the war, reports Agerpres.