icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
28 Jan, 2010 17:17

Tanks for the help - Estonia borrows hardware from Latvia

In the course of European arms cuts and sales, the armed forces of Estonia have had to call on their neighbors in Latvia to borrow a tank…because they did not have any.

Far from planning to build a one-tank army, Estonians will only use the Latvian tank once, in a military exercise.

The borrowed Russian-made T-55 vehicle is not a combat tank. The Latvians bought it from the Czech Republic for psychological training of its army to fight armored vehicles.

Ironically, ten years ago Poland offered five tanks of the same model to Estonia for free, which the country refused. The Russian tanks, Estonians said, would impede the country’s path to joining NATO, as the vehicles did not comply to NATO standards.

Podcasts
0:00
25:44
0:00
27:19