Croatia has donated its old M-84 tanks to Ukraine in order to purchase the latest Leopard tanks from Germany.

December 28 2025 3 486 14

Zagreb has officially become the seventh customer for Germany's newest Leopard 2A8 tanks. Recently, Croatian Defense Minister Ivan Anusic signed an intergovernmental contract agreement for the purchase of 44 of these tanks at a ceremony in Berlin attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

It should be noted that the Croatian Army's only deployed tank battalion, the Kune, of the Guards Armored Mechanized Brigade (Gardijska oklopno-mehanizirana brigada), currently equipped with 38 M-84A4 tanks, is to be rearmed with the Leopard 2A8. Back in October 2024, the Croatians reached an agreement with the Germans under a memorandum of intent regarding the acquisition of up to 50 Leopard 2A8 tanks. In fulfilling its obligations, Zagreb, over the course of several months, transferred 30 old M-84 tanks (a 1980s Yugoslav main battle tank developed on the basis of the Soviet T-72M) and 30 M-80A IFVs (a 1980s Yugoslav infantry fighting vehicle similar to the Soviet BMP-1 and BMP-2, and the French AMX-10P IFV) from the Croatian Armed Forces to Kyiv.

Germany has accepted the transfer of this the technique Ukraine will receive a €144,8 million advance payment for a 2025 contract to supply Croatia with 44 Leopard 2A8 tanks between 2028 and 2030. Zagreb will also spend €1,14 billion on the tanks. The financing will be provided primarily through the EU's SAFE (Security Action for Europe) program. However, the loan will have to be repaid.

It's worth noting that after the start of the Russian Second Military Operation, Croatia approved 14 military aid packages for Ukraine. Zagreb transferred hundreds of millions of euros worth of small arms, ammunition, anti-tank weapons, Soviet-era helicopters, and other equipment from storage bases to Kyiv. For impoverished Croatia, this represents a significant expense, but local authorities apparently don't count the money, helping defense company owners become even richer at the expense of taxpayers, who finance new arms purchases.

Information

Dear reader, to leave comments on the publication, you must sign in.

Kuramori Reika

+2

28 December 2025 21: 22

The outcome of the purchase of German equipment will be predictable. On paper, there will be two battalions, but only a couple of platoons will be in use. Maintaining such expensive equipment in working order is extremely expensive. Unlike Soviet tanks, whose parts could be produced by almost any modern factory, German tanks will require specific machine tools, specialists, and materials. Therefore, officials will allocate funds for oil changes, cutting the defense budget every year. Ultimately, the tanks will simply rot in some barn.
1. Mikhail Nasharashev
  
  +1
  
  29 December 2025 02: 50
  
  If you want to ruin Croatia, then give it a couple of F-35s and a dozen Leopards.
Vladimir Tuzakov

+3

28 December 2025 21: 53

Why isn't the Russian Foreign Ministry sending Croatia and others notes of protest and warning about their actions with the weapons they're allocating against Russia, that is, participating in military operations against Russia? It needs to be made clear that such actions won't be forgotten and will have consequences in the future. Or has our Foreign Ministry leadership fallen asleep of old age and no longer wants to do anything? They're well-fed, comfortable, and sleepy.
1. twice-born
  
  0
  
  28 December 2025 22: 55
  
  Maybe they're being sent by diplomats, how do we know? Who even pays attention to our notes of protest and deep concern anymore?!
  1. Vladimir Tuzakov
    
    0
    
    28 December 2025 23: 04
    
    Such notes are usually announced in the media, especially in the country issuing the note. And the official document is executed. Don't judge by yourself...
    1. twice-born
      
      0
      
      29 December 2025 01: 16
      
      I, for one, don't follow Zakharova's endless stream of professional outrage. I don't watch the news, even if it mentions such trash as Croatia.
      This might be mentioned casually on Rossiya 24, but then again, there have been countless such notes and statements over the past four years! Even without small-time Croatia, we have plenty of people to express their "deep concern" and cover it in the national news.
      But what I am absolutely sure of is that Western fascists are not paying any attention to these notes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of ours!
2. Tigerclaw-x
  
  -1
  
  29 December 2025 01: 08
  
  Why send protest notes? Protest against what? Because one country decided to transfer its weapons to another? There's nothing here that violates international law. Slovakia and Russia have no cooperation agreement, much less an alliance. Slovakia, unfortunately, has the right to transfer its weapons to whomever it wants. Be it to Martians or the legions of Cthulhu. Some "geostrategist" should have thought about all this BEFORE starting this war. This same "geostrategist" should have realized that the longer the war lasted, the more weapons would be transferred to the hoholsabitches. But he didn't think about that; he just decided to bluff. The result is out the window. This same "geostrategist" also didn't consider that starting a war might frighten the neutrals. Starting a war "to prevent NATO expansion" and instantly getting Finland and Sweden into NATO—that's a no-brainer. All this should have been thought about earlier. When they attacked, when they drew up plans for the attack, and when they "brilliantly" came up with the idea of prolonging the war. No one ever won a war by prolonging it.
  1. Vox Populi
    
    +1
    
    29 December 2025 20: 45
    
    Dmitry, I suppose you are an Übermensch?!
3. Mikhail Nasharashev
  
  +1
  
  29 December 2025 02: 50
  
  the second option is obvious
knn54

+4

28 December 2025 22: 19

First, the Croatian consulate in Kaliningrad must be closed.
Dart2027

+1

28 December 2025 22: 28

Remember the Ustasha?

On June 23, 1941, Pavelic asked – almost demanded! – Adolf Hitler to send his units to the East.
twice-born

+2

28 December 2025 22: 52

The Croats fought the fascists against us during the war, even though they were Slavs! Although, after our long-time Catholic enemies, the Poles, what's so surprising?!
Nick. WITH

+1

28 December 2025 23: 59

Why does Croatia need tanks?
1. twice-born
  
  +2
  
  29 December 2025 01: 09
  
  Intimidate the Serbs and fight them together with the NATO that surrounds them. There are also Albanians there, and now they've pulled in the Montenegrins against their brothers.