Italian media reported that Rome has handed over to Kiev about 20 M109L self-propelled vehicles
Italy has handed over to Kiev some 20 M109L self-propelled artillery guns, a train carrying them passed through the railway station in the northern city of Udine on Saturday, newspapers la Repubblica and Corriere della Sera reported on Sunday.
Passengers at the station filmed a video showing the howitzers on tracks passing the station on the railway platforms. The train was moving at a low speed of around 5-10 kilometres per hour. The units, as noted, had no identifying marks or numbers on them. Corriere identified their model as M109L and noted that several similar howitzers had already been handed over to Kiev last October.
The minister without portfolio for relations with parliament, Luca Ciriani, has confirmed on RAinews24 news channel that a batch of SAUs are being sent to Ukraine. He said they were part of a military aid package approved by Mario Draghi’s previous government, which was in power until October last year.
In January, the Italian parliament approved a government decree to continue a variety of aid to Ukraine in 2023, including arms supplies. In February, the government approved another, sixth military aid package for Kiev. Their specific content remains classified, but according to Italian publications, the latest included an air defence system and drones, and previously heavy armoured vehicles and large-calibre artillery.
Russia has sent a note to NATO countries over arms deliveries to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing arms for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian foreign ministry said that NATO countries were “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. The Russian president’s press secretary, Dmitriy Peskov, noted that pumping weapons into Ukraine from the West did not contribute to the success of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and would have a negative effect.
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