Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Poland has provided military support to defenders worth about €3.23 billion – hundreds of tanks and combat vehicles, as well as respective aircraft and helicopters. The support for Ukraine is part of the process of transforming the Polish Army from the russian equipment to the West.
Comprehensive data on Polish support for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022 were not presented publicly; however, much information was collected and developed by analysts and investigation centres, specified as the Center for east Studies. citing, among others, the data of OSH, the survey on this subject was late presented by the Chancellery of the president of Poland.
According to these estimates, all military aid so far granted Ukraine reached a value of about €3.23 billion, or just over PLN 14 billion. In total, this includes a full scope of various military equipment, which in the beginning of 2022 was on the equipment of the Polish Army. On the 1 hand, it is simply a consulting equipment, inactive utilized by the Polish army, and on the another hand modern equipment, primarily from Polish production.
As for dense equipment, Poland delivered around 350 tanks to Ukraine – not much little than half of all the machines that the Polish army owned in the beginning of 2022. In this number there were about 280 russian T-72 tanks in various versions, 60 PT-91 "Hard" tanks (this is the Polish deep modernization T-72) and 14 Leopards 2A4, or more modern German production tanks.
New machines from the USA – M1 Abrams and from South Korea – K2 – arrive in place of the tanks transferred to Poland, gradually filling the gaps and allowing the armored troops to be turned into fresh equipment.
Poland besides donated to Ukraine over 250 of about 1250 combat vehicles of the BWP-1 infantry. These machines are Soviet, outdated constructions from the 1960s, but inactive are utilized on the front in the hands of Ukrainian soldiers, who are well acquainted with this kind of equipment, besides utilized by Russians. In the coming years, BWP-1 is to be completely withdrawn from the Polish Army, and their successor is to be the Polish construction of BWP Borsuk.
The Ukraine was besides visited by about 100 Polish-produced under the licence of the Finnish wheeled armored transporters Rosomak; the Polish army presently uses respective 100 specified machines, manufactured in Poland since 2005.
The fighting Ukrainians from the Polish stocks were besides handed over many pieces of another russian equipment – including 9 BRDM-2 reconnaissance vehicles (in the WP they are to be replaced by fresh Polish reconnaissance wagons "Kleszcz"), as well as more than 30 BM-21 Grad rocket launchers, widely utilized by both parties in the war in Ukraine.
As indicated by KPRP, Poland besides donated over a 100 self-propelled departments to Ukraine; this number includes respective twelve russian self-propelled Haubic 2S1 Worźk, as well as respective twelve Krabs – self-propelled cannon-haubic production of Huta Stalowa Wola, which gained publicity as an highly effective weapon on the front in Ukraine.
Poland besides donated 14 MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine. These are russian machines inactive utilized in Polish, Ukrainian and Russian aviation. Currently, Poland has respective more aircraft requested by the Ukrainian authorities. The Polish authorities, including president Andrzej Duda and representatives of the government, have explained in fresh weeks that these aircraft are inactive carrying out missions in the Polish Air Force and cannot be handed over without appropriate additions, including the deployment of additional allied aviation in Poland.
In addition, 12 Mi-24 assault helicopters besides hit Ukraine; this is almost half of the fleet of these machines, which Poland owned in early 2022. In their place – with crucial attachment – MON ordered 96 copies of American AH-64E helicopters Apache, however, Apache’s first deliveries are only scheduled for 2028.
Poland has besides supported Ukraine with many types of another equipment – including anti-aircraft kits, including Polish hand-held short-range lightning launchers, as well as ammunition – according to KPRP, so far Poland has transferred over 100 million pieces of ammunition of various types and calibers to Ukraine. Ukrainians besides received Grot rifles, manufactured in Radom’s “Łuknik” plant, as well as various equipment needed by soldiers – helmets, bulletproof vests or medical equipment.
Some types of Polish equipment, checked on the front, were then ordered in larger quantities by Ukraine in Polish plants. It's about, among others, the crab cannonhaubic or the grotto rifles.
Polish military support for Ukraine besides takes another forms too the transfer of equipment and supplies – Poland has been active in training missions for Ukrainian soldiers from the beginning, including the EUMAM initiative, in which Polish instructors have already trained 14.5 1000 soldiers. In total, Poland trained about 25 1000 soldiers, including at national level.
An crucial support is besides the 20,000 Starlink sets, according to KPRP data, or mobile routers providing access to satellite internet, produced by 1 of the companies of American billionaire Elon Musk. Poland besides finances the maintenance of these systems.
The President's Chancellery study besides recalled that Polish aid to Ukraine goes importantly beyond military support – it points primarily to humanitarian and financial support (including military issues, specified as participation in the Czech alleged ammunition initiative), as well as support for respective million refugees who have come from Ukraine to Poland since the beginning of the conflict. In total, according to KPRP estimates, Polish aid to Ukraine amounted to 4.91% of GDP.
Source: PAP / Develop. TG
