Sweden said on Thursday it had completed training Ukrainian soldiers on how to use 50 CV90 light tanks donated by Stockholm to Kiev and said they were “ready for the front lines”.
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Stockholm did not provide information on how many Ukrainian soldiers took part in this training.
“For security reasons, we will not be giving any details on the scope or duration of the training at this time,” a spokeswoman for the Swedish Armed Forces told AFP.
Four mechanized infantry companies have been formed at undisclosed locations across the country in recent months, according to Swedish news agency TT.
The size of the companies varies from country to country and can range from a few tens to hundreds of soldiers.
Sweden announced in January that it would send 50 of its armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine.
The model sent to Ukraine is the CV9040C, equipped with a 40mm autocannon that the armed forces say can attack a “hovering helicopter from four kilometers away.”
Some of the Ukrainian soldiers “had no experience with combat vehicles or tanks, but many had experience with the Russian BMP-1 combat vehicle,” one of the Swedish instructors said in a statement.
The Scandinavian country has also pledged to send its Archer mobile artillery system and NLAW anti-tank missiles to Kiev.
The following month it announced that it was also sending “about ten” Leopard 2 tanks equipped with the IRIS-T and HAWK anti-aircraft missile systems.
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Shortly after Russia began invading Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden broke with its doctrine of not supplying arms to belligerent countries and promised thousands of AT4 anti-tank weapons.
Stockholm then pledged military aid to Ukraine totaling 16.9 billion Swedish kronor ($1.6 billion).