Netherlands to send 28 amphibious armored vehicles to Ukraine

The Netherlands will send 28 Viking Bandvagn S10 amphibious armored vehicles to Ukraine, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Aug. 31.

The Dutch Marine Corps has trained Ukrainian soldiers to use the vehicles, according to Brekelmans.

Equipped with rubber tracks, Viking Bandvagn S10 weighs about 11 tons and can travel on all types of surfaces, including water.

"Ukraine desperately needs our help in its fight against the Russian aggressor. Our support for Ukraine continues to keep Russia at bay," the minister wrote in his post on X.

He did not outline the terms of the equipment transfer.

The Netherlands has been Kyiv's staunch supporter since 2022. The country joined the drone coalition and pledged to allocate 20 million euros (nearly $22 million) to purchase first-person view (FPV) drones for Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Netherlands announced it would buy 51 drone detection radars for Kyiv to bolster Ukraine's air defense.

Ukraine Compact is ‘bit of window dressing,’ says former Dutch defense minister

While the Ukraine Compact is a useful overarching framework, many countries had already signed bilateral security agreements, said former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren.

The Kyiv IndependentNate Ostiller