Ukrainian Armed Forces to receive 21 more armored personnel carriers from Latvia
Patria 6x6 (Illustrative photo: TOMS KALNINS / EPA)

Ukraine will receive 21 more Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers from Latvia, reported The Ministry of Defense of the Baltic country.

Kyiv will receive the last batch of these weapons on November 6: the transfer will take place at the Ādaži military base near Riga, with the minister of defense Denys Shmyhal attending the event. He is currently on a working visit to the Baltic country.

"Since the first day of Russia's invasion, Latvia has been supporting Ukraine and the efforts of its defenders to protect their country. The gift of armored personnel carriers produced in Latvia is an important support for Ukraine's defenders and an opportunity to test the reliability of supply and combat capability of armored vehicles produced in Latvia in real combat conditions," said Andris Spruds, head of the Latvian Defense Ministry.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces will receive 21 Patria 6x6 armored personnel carriers equipped with 12.7 mm NATO-caliber machine guns and ammunition; the defenders will also receive spare parts for maintenance of the equipment, special tools and equipment for repair, as well as a mobile repair shop and maintenance documentation, the Latvian Defense Ministry writes.

According to it, kits for repairing combat damage to transporters will also be supplied so that the Ukrainian military can repair damage sustained in combat near the front line, where it is impossible to immediately evacuate the equipment and repair it in rear workshops.

Earlier, the Latvian government supported the transfer of 42 such armored personnel carriers and other equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to support Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression.

The order for the supply of such equipment was announced by the Ministry of Defense of Latvia in Februaryand the first batch was received by Ukraine, which became known in July.

"In 2025, military aid provided by Latvia to Ukraine will reach 0.3% of GDP by the end of the year (in the coming years this country, as well as Lithuania and Estonia pledged to allocate 0.25% to support Kyiv – Ed.) In addition to military assistance, Latvia is also implementing a large-scale training program for Ukrainian military personnel," the Baltic country's Defense Ministry concludes.

REFERENCE.
The Patria 6x6 armored personnel carrier was developed in Finland. In 2024, Defence Partnership Latvia opened a production facility in Latvia that can produce up to 160 Patria 6x6 armored vehicles per year. These vehicles are in service in Sweden, Finland, and Latvia.

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.
  • On November 2, president Zelenskyy announced that the Patriot system component of Ukraine's air defense would be strengthened by new aid from Germany.
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