Ukraine receives first batch of Patria armored personnel carriers from Latvia
Ukraine received the first batch of Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers from Latvia, reported defense minister Denys Shmyhal after talking with his Latvian colleague Andris Sprūds.
"I thanked Latvia for its contribution to strengthening defense capabilities, in particular, for the transfer of UAVs for the Defense Forces and the recent decision to provide 42 units of Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers. The first batch has already been delivered to Ukraine," said Shmyhal.
He did not name the number of armored personnel carriers received in the first batch.
The officials also discussed the needs of Ukrainian defenders, the joint production of drones for Ukraine and the agreements of the last meeting Contact Group on Defense in the Ramstein format.
"We agreed on the next steps of cooperation. Among them is to intensify our dialogue with the Nordic-Baltic Eight countries (Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia and Denmark – Ed.
The Patria 6x6 is designed primarily for troop transport, but can be customized for other purposes. Available weapons range from a machine gun to 25/30mm medium-caliber multiple launch rocket systems and the 120mm Patria Nemo turret mortar system.
The weight of the armored vehicle is about 24 tons, of which up to 8.5 tons is the combat load. The maximum speed is up to 100 kilometers per hour.
The Defense Minister also spoke with his Spanish counterpart Margarita Robles about ways to strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities on land, at sea and in the air – Shmyhal noted that the countries are preparing relevant agreements.
"I thanked him for his important contribution to supporting our country, in particular in protecting the sky from Russian shelling. We are also grateful for the training and treatment of the Ukrainian military. We will continue our fruitful cooperation for the sake of security and peace," the minister said.
- On Latvia's plan to transfer Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine became known in February 2025, the equipment is manufactured directly in the Baltic country.
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